Emmy Awards Move to Amazon Prime Video After 70 Years on Broadcast TV
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
The Emmy Awards will leave traditional broadcast television and move to Amazon's Prime Video starting in 2027, ending a 70-year broadcast tradition. The global agreement ensures free viewing for audiences worldwide, including in Israel, where it will likely end local broadcasts. This shift reflects declining TV viewership for awards shows and the growing dominance of streaming platforms, with other major awards like the Oscars and SAG Awards also moving to digital platforms.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- The Emmy Awards will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video globally starting in September 2027.
- This move ends a 70-year tradition of the Emmy Awards airing on major U.S. broadcast television networks.
- Viewing the Emmy Awards on Prime Video will be free and will not require a paid subscription.
- The new deal is expected to generate over $20 million annually for the Television Academy.
- The shift to streaming mirrors similar moves by the Oscars and SAG Awards.
- The 79th Emmy Awards in September 2027 will be the first ceremony broadcast on Prime Video.
The Emmy Awards ceremony will move from traditional American broadcast networks to Amazon's Prime Video streaming service starting in 2027, following a six-year global agreement between Amazon and the Television Academy. While moving to a streaming platform, viewing the ceremony will remain free and will not require a Prime subscription. This transition marks the end of a tradition spanning over seven decades, as the national Emmy Awards have been broadcast on a major U.S. network since 1955. For the past three decades, the ceremony rotated annually among ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. The 78th Emmy Awards, aired on NBC in November, was the last under this rotation agreement. The first ceremony on Prime Video will be the 79th Emmy Awards in September 2027.
The move is also expected to significantly impact viewers in Israel, where the ceremony was traditionally broadcast live by yes. The new global deal grants Prime Video exclusive worldwide rights, likely ending the traditional broadcast on yes. The ceremony will be available for free globally, though details regarding subtitles or translations are not yet confirmed.
The financial terms of the deal have not been officially disclosed, but reports suggest Amazon will pay over $20 million annually for the rights, a substantial increase from the previous agreement which generated approximately $9.5 million per year for the Academy, excluding production costs borne by the broadcaster. Chris Eberle, Chairman of the Television Academy, stated that a key consideration was establishing a permanent home for the awards, allowing for better development of the event over the six-year partnership. Mike Hopkins, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM, views the move as an opportunity to expand the ceremony's audience and attract younger viewers.
This migration reflects the declining viewership of awards shows on traditional television and the rise of streaming services. The most recent Emmy Awards attracted around 6.7 million viewers in the U.S., a 10% decrease from the previous year. The Emmys' move to streaming follows similar shifts, with the Oscars set to move to YouTube in 2029 and the Screen Actors Guild Awards already airing on Netflix since 2024.