The Emmys may be headed off broadcast television for the first time in the ceremony’s history, with Amazon in talks with the Television Academy over a new rights deal.
Deadline has confirmed that the streamer is in discussions with the organization behind the annual awards show after the long-running broadcast “wheel” arrangement came to an end this year. Under that model, the major broadcast networks each carried the Emmys once every four years.
A deal with Amazon would begin next year, according to the source material, and would represent a significant shift for the Television Academy, which has been looking for a new rights agreement. Variety first reported the news.
The talks arrive during a broader movement of awards programming toward streaming. The Oscars struck a deal with YouTube, taking over from Disney, while other awards shows have also moved in that direction, including the Actors Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards, and the Academy of Country Music Awards.
A Longtime Broadcast Model Nears Its End
The Emmys’ rotating broadcast setup dates back to 1995, when Jason Alexander and Cybill Shepherd hosted the ceremony on Fox. ABC, CBS and NBC aired the show in subsequent years as part of the four-network rotation.
That arrangement followed a turbulent earlier period for the Television Academy. The Academy ended a four-year deal with ABC early after rivals vowed to boycott the ceremony. That ABC pact had followed six years on Fox.
At the time, the broadcast wheel made practical sense: the Emmys regularly drew more than 20 million viewers. Ratings later declined into single digits beginning in 2019, changing the economics and urgency around the show’s next rights home.
The Television Academy, led by chairman Cris Abrego, has held talks in recent months with multiple broadcast networks and streamers. Abrego is also boss of Hyphenate Media Group, producer of Land of Women.
One possible outcome discussed during the process was a simulcast approach, but that did not materialize.
Networks Weighed The Value Of Staying In
The source material indicates that not all broadcast networks felt the same way about continuing to air the Emmys, in part because the number of awards they win has continued to decline.
Amazon’s own tally this year was also limited: the streamer won five awards across the three nights, largely for its Spider-Noir series.
Still, an Amazon deal would take the Emmys into a new distribution era if finalized, removing the ceremony from the broadcast rotation that has defined its television home for nearly three decades.
What Happens Next?
The key question now is whether Amazon and the Television Academy complete the rights agreement currently under discussion. If the deal closes on the terms described, it would begin next year and mark the first time the Emmys leave broadcast television.