The Emmy Awards will move to Amazon Prime Video under a six-year agreement, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The deal gives Prime Video exclusive global streaming rights to the awards show, according to the Television Academy.
The BBC described the arrangement as historic, marking the first time television's most prominent awards ceremony will be carried by a streaming platform rather than a traditional broadcaster. Deadline reported the deal is valued at more than $20 million per year and that Amazon will make the event free to view.
The shift drew attention beyond the United States. TV with Thinus reported that M-Net and Canal+'s DStv service will lose the Emmys as a result of the change. The New York Times framed the move as the awards show leaving traditional television entirely.
The Television Academy and Prime Video announced the multiyear agreement together, according to the Academy's own announcement. Neither the BBC nor the other outlets specified a start date for the new arrangement or named the previous broadcast partner in the material available.
The Emmys have long served as television's biggest annual showcase, which makes the platform change notable for both the awards body and the streaming service. Financial terms beyond Deadline's per-year figure were not disclosed in the reporting.
What to watch next: confirmation of when the first Prime Video broadcast will take place and how viewers outside the United States will access the ceremony.
