The deal gives Prime Video worldwide rights to stream the ceremony live each September, ending its rotation among US broadcast networks including ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
The financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. The ceremony will also be available to viewers worldwide without requiring a Prime Video subscription.
Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego said the agreement will give the Emmys “unprecedented global reach,” with audiences in more than 200 countries able to watch the ceremony live.
“Television has never been more global, and the Emmys should be a celebration that the world can share,” Abrego said in a statement issued by Amazon.
Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, described the platform as the “global home” for the ceremony and said making the event available for free would provide “the best entertainment to our customers worldwide.”
The agreement marks a major expansion of Amazon’s live entertainment offering, which has largely grown through sports programming. Prime Video currently carries events including NFL’s Thursday Night Football, NBA games and UEFA Champions League fixtures.
The platform has also recorded strong audiences for its live sports coverage, including a reported peak of 6.5 million viewers for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during its first NBA season.
Forrester research director Mike Proulx said the move reflects the changing relationship between television programming and the platforms where audiences increasingly watch it.
“The shows driving the industry forward largely originate on streaming platforms, yet the awards themselves were tethered to broadcast television,” Proulx said.
“That’s why a leading streaming service like Prime Video makes sense for the Emmy’s next act.”
The agreement ends the Emmys’ long-standing relationship with traditional US broadcast television, where the ceremony has rotated among major networks since 1955.
The move also comes as other major entertainment awards explore digital distribution. The Oscars are scheduled to begin global live streaming on YouTube in 2029.
First held in 1949, the Emmy Awards recognise achievements across television, including acting, writing and production, and have become a major annual event for the global television industry.
Ademide Adebayo
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