Emmy Awards to Move Exclusively to Prime Video Starting in 2027

Amazon announced that Prime Video will become the exclusive global home for the Emmy Awards beginning in 2027, marking a historic shift away from traditional broadcast television. Under the new six-year agreement, the prestigious television ceremony will stream live across more than 240 countries and territories. In an effort to maximize reach, Prime Video will make the telecast available for free to all viewers, including non-subscribers.

Financial terms of the multi-year broadcast deal were not publicly disclosed. The transition ends a decades-long tradition where the Emmys rotated annually among the major American legacy networks: ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. Moving to a dedicated streaming home represents the first time in the ceremony's more than seventy-year history that it will maintain a permanent, single distributor.

The strategic relocation comes as live awards broadcasts continue to navigate declining linear viewership trends. Ratings for the recent 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on NBC fell nearly 10 percent year-over-year to 6.87 million viewers. Although this marked a decline from the preceding cycle, it remained above the telecast's historic nadir of 4.3 million viewers recorded in January 2024.

Hollywood's most visible ceremonies are increasingly pivoting toward major digital platforms to capture younger, global audiences. The Screen Actors Guild Awards shifted its distribution to Netflix starting in 2024, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences previously reached an agreement for YouTube to carry the Oscars beginning in 2029. Amazon's deal solidifies streaming platforms as the primary future medium for major entertainment galas.