The Emmy Awards are the main recognition for artistic and technical merit in the television industry, and they have rotated between CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX for the past 71 years. That is about to change, with Amazon Prime Video winning the streaming rights to the award show.
In 1949, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences held the first Emmy Awards at the Hollywood Athletic Club in Los Angeles. The show originally only honored LA local television shows. As television technology advanced and became more popular across the United States, the Emmys grew with it and became a nationally broadcast award show in 1955. For the past 31 years, the show has rotated between the four major broadcast channels, in a system known as the “wheel deal.”
Prime Video signed a six-year deal to take over the Emmys. The terms of the deal have not been released yet. It is rumored that Amazon will be paying a $15 million licensing fee. The new streaming platform could increase visibility for smaller categories and less publicized ceremonies which helps recognize the many professionals who contribute to the television industry.
When talking about the Emmys, most people are referring to the Primetime Emmys, but there are other versions of the competition. There are also Daytime, Sports, News & Documentary, Children’s & Family, Engineering, Science & Technology, Regional, International and College Television Emmys.
There are also special honors, including the Governors and Trustees Award and Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. Many of these events take place at different times throughout the year, and several receive limited television coverage or are not broadcast to a wide audience. As streaming platforms expand their involvement in the awards industry, there may be additional opportunities to access these ceremonies for viewers who would otherwise not be able to watch.
The show will be more accessible with the switch from broadcast. Prime Video makes the awards free to stream live, no subscription needed. Over 240 countries and territories will now have free access to the show, which allows much wider, global access to the show. That is especially significant because the Emmys celebrate television programs from an industry whose influence extends much farther than the United States.
The Emmys are not the only award show moving to streaming platforms. It was announced earlier this year that the Academy Awards will be moving to YouTube and the Grammy Awards are going to Disney.
The Oscars will move to YouTube in 2029, streaming on the platform until 2033. That marks the first time they would not be on ABC in roughly 50 years. The Grammys' change to Disney, similarly, marks the first time it will not be on CBS in 54 years.
Disney has a 10-year contract with the award show, streaming it from 2027 to 2036. Together, those agreements show that major award shows are increasingly willing to partner with digital platforms and entertainment companies that can reach beyond traditional television.
The shift of these major award shows to streaming demonstrates how the general landscape of television and streaming is evolving. The Emmys had 6.7 million viewers during the most recent awards, which is nearly a 10% decrease from the previous years. There has been a steady decline in watching broadcast and cable networks since the rise of streaming. 44.8% of TV viewers are now watching it on streaming platforms compared to cable at 24.1% and broadcast at 20.1%, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge. For streaming companies, acquiring the rights to media offers a chance to attract new audiences and demonstrate that their platforms can successfully host major live events.
The recent winners have reflected this, with more and more shows that are only available on streaming. “Widow’s Bay” was nominated 19 times, won 14 Emmys and is only available on Apple TV. “The Pitt” is another example, as it is only available on streaming but received 38 nominations and 11 Emmys.
This is true of all shows that received Outstanding Achievements at the 78th Emmy Awards. Streaming is becoming the way the average person watches TV, and award shows are adapting.
