About $15M a year: Emmys head to Prime Video in six-year global deal
The Emmys just found a global streaming home in a sweeping six-year deal set to beam the ceremony worldwide.
Starting in 2027 , the Emmys will stream live on Prime Video in the U.S. and in more than 240 countries and territories — and you won’t need a Prime membership to watch. Amazon says the show will be available free to everyone on its platform, turning TV’s longest-running awards night into a global, no-paywall event.
The Television Academy has locked in a six-year global agreement with Prime Video. Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but Variety reported the streamer is paying about $15 million per year — roughly $90 million over the life of the deal — a bump from the $8–$10 million broadcast networks reportedly paid annually for U.S.-only rights under the longtime rotation.
That rotation — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC trading years as host — goes away with this pact. For the Academy, it ’s a single home after decades of swapping channels; for Amazon, it’s a marquee live event that lives on the same service it uses to push out Thursday Night Football and tentpole series.
Television Academy chair Cris Abrego called the pact a “meaningful investment” and said it was “definitely an increase” over previous license fees.
More than one night
Abrego has floated a “road to the Emmys” on Prime Video — Academy interviews, Hall of Fame programming and Television Academy Honors — to build a year-round presence leading up to the telecast. The shift also lands after a strong year for Amazon’s own shows, which picked up Emmys in 2026.
Another piece in motion: the Television Academy is working toward a merger with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences that could wrap as soon as mid-2027. If that happens, other ceremonies, including the Daytime Emmys, could enter talks with Prime Video, though those rights would be negotiated separately.
How to watch
- Where: the Emmys will stream on Prime Video.
- When: begins with the 2027 ceremony.
- Cost: free to watch; no Prime subscription required.
- Availability: live in more than 240 countries and territories.
The merger process could be completed as early as mid-2027, per the Academy.