The Emmys Are Leaving Broadcast TV: What the Move to Prime Video Means for Viewers

 For decades, the Emmys have been a free night of television. That is about to change. Starting in 2027, the ceremony will stream exclusively on Prime Video, after Amazon and the Television Academy agreed a six-year deal that ends a seven-decade run on broadcast networks.  

How the old system worked

The ceremony rotated between the broadcast networks for 31 years in an arrangement known as the wheel, and that contract ended with the 2026 show. NBC aired this year's 78th Emmys on September 14, with a simultaneous stream on Peacock. The networks were believed to pay a little over $8 million a year, and the wheel had a built-in drawback: even a successful show meant handing the ceremony to a rival the following year.  (Emmys in Talks to Move to Prime Video Beginning in 2027 +2)

Why the Academy made the move

Audience size is part of the story. The 78th Emmys drew 6.7 million viewers on NBC, compared with 7.4 million on CBS last year, though last year's show aired on a Sunday, which makes the comparison imperfect. In the early years, the show regularly passed 20 million viewers.  (serienjunkies)

Streaming is also where live events are heading. The Oscars will move from ABC to YouTube starting in 2029, under a deal running through 2033. Prime Video has already carried the Academy of Country Music Awards since 2022. The Emmys will leave broadcast television for the first time since they began in 1949.  (Emmys in Talks to Move to Prime Video Beginning in 2027 +2)

What changes for viewers

The biggest change is access. Anyone who watched the Emmys free over the air or through a cable package will need access to Prime Video to see the ceremony live. Practical details, such as how the show will be presented and whether there will be extra red carpet coverage, are worth watching for as 2027 gets closer.

What to watch next

Other Emmy ceremonies: It is still unclear whether the Daytime, News and Documentary, Children's and Family, and Sports Emmys will become part of the same deal.  (Variety)

Ratings: a streaming-only show may reach fewer people at first, or it may reach more. The first Prime Video ceremony will be the real test.

Other awards shows: if the Emmys and the Oscars both leave broadcast TV, expect more shows to follow.

The Emmys have changed homes before, but never this far from the television set. Come 2027, the red carpet will be on your screen only if Prime Video is too.