The Emmy Awards are close to making a historic jump to streaming. The Television Academy is in advanced talks to move the annual Primetime Emmy telecast to Amazon Prime Video, according to multiple reports. If the deal goes through, it would be the first time since the awards began in 1949 that the ceremony would not air on a traditional broadcast network. The move comes as the current “wheel deal” — a long-standing agreement that rotated the Emmys among ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC — has officially ended with the 78th Emmy Awards on NBC and Peacock.
What the Current Broadcast Wheel Deal Looked Like
The Emmy “wheel deal” began in 1995. It was a simple arrangement: each of the four major broadcast networks would take turns airing the ceremony every year. The most recent eight-year contract was struck in 2018 and ran through this year’s show.
Under that agreement, the networks were believed to be paying just above $8 million a year in license fees, according to sources who spoke with Variety. That was similar to what the Academy earned under its previous deal.
The wheel system replaced an earlier exclusive deal. ABC held the Emmys for four years before the Academy ended that contract early and returned to a rotating model. The goal was to share the show among the big networks and keep it in front of the widest possible audience.
Why the Academy Is Looking at Streaming
The television business has changed dramatically since 1995. Broadcast TV no longer holds the same grip on viewers. In June, broadcast TV dropped to just 18.5% of overall viewing, while streaming climbed to 46% of all total TV usage, according to Nielsen’s monthly Gauge report.
Emmy ratings have followed that trend. The show regularly pulled in more than 20 million viewers in its early wheel years. By 2019, that number had fallen to single digits. The 2024 ceremony hit a record low of 4.3 million viewers. The 2025 Emmys did rebound to 7.4 million viewers on CBS and Paramount+, the highest since 2021, but the overall decline over the past three decades is clear.
A single streaming home also solves a promotional problem the wheel deal created. Under the rotating system, even if a network produced a strong Emmys show, it was essentially warming up the audience for a competitor to take over the next year. A long-term deal with one platform would give that outlet a stronger reason to invest in producing and marketing the ceremony year after year.
“We just want to find the right place and the right home for the future of the Emmys.” — Television Academy chair Cris Abrego, speaking to TheWrap during the Emmys press preview
Prime Video’s Growing Awards and Live Events Business
Prime Video is not new to the awards show business. The streamer took over the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2021, making it the first major awards show to move to streaming. That partnership has been extended through 2028.
The platform has also built a deep portfolio of live events. It holds rights to NFL Thursday Night Football, the NBA, the WNBA, NASCAR, and other sports properties. Live production is no longer a weakness for streaming services the way it once was.
Other awards shows are also making the jump. The SAG-AFTRA Actor Awards moved from TNT and TBS to Netflix. The Oscars will leave ABC for YouTube starting in 2029. The Emmys would likely hit streaming before the Oscars, given the timing of that deal.
Options the Academy Explored Before Prime Video Talks
The Television Academy did not go straight to Prime Video. Several other models were discussed over the past year.
One option was to keep the wheel but add new outlets. At least one broadcast network, believed to be Fox, was considering dropping out of the rotation. Another idea was a simulcast — airing the Emmys across all major networks and streamers at the same time. That concept was explored but proved too complex to sort out, mainly because of the difficulty in coordinating ad sales across so many different platforms.
A single-outlet deal with a streaming platform emerged as the cleanest solution. It gives the Academy a guaranteed license fee and puts the Emmys in one place for several years.
What NBC’s Final Wheel Telecast Delivered
The 78th Emmy Awards aired on Monday, September 14, 2026, on NBC and streamed on Peacock. The ceremony was pushed to a Monday because NBC’s Sunday Night Football held the usual Sunday slot. Mariska Hargitay hosted the show for the first time.
“Widow’s Bay” had a big night, taking home 14 Emmy Awards. The show’s star also made history by becoming the first man to win two Lead Actor categories in the same ceremony, for “Widow’s Bay” (Comedy Series) and “The Beast in Me” (Limited Series).
Prime Video had a modest showing at the ceremony, picking up five awards, largely for its series “Spider-Noir.” That is a small number compared to streaming competitors like HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Netflix, which have dominated the major Emmy categories in recent years.
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What a Prime Video Emmys Deal Would Mean for Viewers
For global audiences, the biggest change would be access. A Prime Video deal would make the Emmys available to subscribers in more than 200 countries and territories, far beyond the reach of a single U.S. broadcast network.
Prime Video is available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and most major markets worldwide. A subscription costs $8.99 per month in the U.S. and similar rates in other regions. The ACM Awards already stream live and on-demand on the platform, and a similar model would likely apply to the Emmys.
The Academy has not confirmed a deal, and Prime Video declined to comment when contacted by TheWrap. Cris Abrego said at the Emmys press day that “conversations are continuing” and that the Academy would share news when it was ready.
The 2027 Emmys are currently without a broadcast home. If the Prime Video talks conclude successfully, the ceremony would stream exclusively on the platform, ending more than seven decades of broadcast television history.
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on the biggest shifts in entertainment and awards season.
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