Amazon in talks to take the Emmys off broadcast TV from 2027
Amazon is in talks to take the Emmys off broadcast television for the first time.
Deadline confirmed the discussions with the Television Academy on 15 September, after Variety first reported them. Deadline The proposed deal would start in 2027. Nothing has been signed.
That timing matters. The old wheel, meaning ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC took turns airing the ceremony, ended in 2026. The Academy's most recent eight-year agreement with the four networks closed with NBC's telecast of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. The Hollywood Reporter
That last broadcast show aired live coast to coast on NBC at 8 p.m. ET on 14 September 2026 from Los Angeles. It also streamed on Peacock. The night ended with The Pitt winning again and horror comedy Widow's Bay scoring big. Reuters
The Academy, led by chairman Cris Abrego, has spent the last few months talking to multiple broadcast networks and streamers about what comes next. Abrego also heads Hyphenate Media Group, the producer of Land of Women. One idea raised in the process was a simulcast, meaning the show would go out live on more than one outlet at once. It did not materialise.
The rotation system was organised in 1995. It began with Jason Alexander and Cybill Shepherd hosting on Fox. Before that, the Academy ended a four-year deal with ABC early after rival networks vowed to boycott, following six years on Fox.
Viewing has changed sharply across that run. The Emmys regularly drew more than 20 million viewers before ratings fell to single digits starting in 2019. In 2022, US television viewership fell roughly 24% year on year to 5.9 million people. Reuters
If a Prime Video deal is struck, the Emmys would become the second of the major EGOT awards shows to leave network television. EGOT is shorthand for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. The Oscars will move to YouTube starting in 2029 under a five-year deal with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Grammys will move to ABC with simulcasts on Hulu and Disney+. CBS finished a 10-year run with the Tony Awards in 2026 and is two years into a five-year deal with the Golden Globes.
Prime Video already carries live events. It has held rights to the Academy of Country Music Awards since 2021 and holds sports rights deals with the NFL, NBA/WNBA and NASCAR.
Amazon also had a visible presence at the 2026 Emmys. It won five awards across three nights, largely for Spider-Noir.
For fans, this means one question for now. A streaming home would change where you find TV's biggest night. Until a deal is announced, it stays on the table as talks, not a switch.
