The last broadcast Emmys

Mariska Hargitay closed the 78th Emmys, and it may be the last one on broadcast TV. The Television Academy is in advanced talks to move the show to Prime Video, which would be a first since 1949.

Following the Oscars to streaming

The move would put the Emmys next to the Oscars, which go to YouTube in 2029, and the Actor Awards, already on Netflix. Viewers would need a subscription to watch.

Networks paying for rivals' wins

Under the 2018 deal, networks paid just over $8 million a year. In 2025, CBS drew 7.59 million viewers while HBO Max, Apple TV and Netflix won big. CBS took home a single Emmy.

The case for one owner

A platform that keeps the Emmys every year has a reason to invest in the show and learn what works. Under the rotating wheel, a network built an audience only to hand it to a rival.

“One year is barely enough time to find the bathrooms at the Peacock Theater, let alone build an audience around a new idea.”

Fox tried this in 1987

Fox outbid ABC, CBS and NBC for exclusive rights, and ratings crashed from nearly 36 million in 1986 to just over 12 million in 1990. The Emmys spent a decade getting back to a shared model.

Netflix didn't save SAG

The SAG Awards moved to Netflix in 2024 and drew 1.8 million views, about what they got on cable. A tighter 2025 show with Barbra Streisand still didn't bring a real jump in viewers.

Distribution was never the problem

SAG went from 2.7 million viewers in 2019 to 2 million, then 1.8 million, before Netflix was involved. Put a shrinking audience on a bigger platform and it won't grow without a reason to watch.

“I don't think distribution was ever the dilemma awards shows were battling.”

A make-or-break year

The Emmys drew 7.59 million on CBS, while SAG pulled about a quarter of that on the world's biggest streamer. The Academy needs real changes, even ones that upset the old guard.

Amazon has a horse in the race

Prime Video has streamed the ACM Awards since 2022, but it also competes at the Emmys. This year it earned 48 nominations and 10 wins, five of them for "Spider-Noir."

Perception matters

Rival studios were already annoyed that five categories were moved off this year's telecast. Nobody suspects the Ernst & Young ballot, but the company airing the show would also be chasing trophies.

YouTube carries less baggage

Google doesn't make prestige TV. Prime Video campaigns for "Fallout" and "The Rings of Power" like any other studio, and a hit on the level of "Maisel" would get every telecast decision questioned.

Streamers want a different night

NBC wants a strong lead-in, a broad audience and ad slots. Amazon wants to keep Prime subscribers inside its app and turn the ceremony into days of clips, interviews and social posts.

Think bigger, not smaller

The Academy keeps shrinking the show, but a streamer has no commercial breaks to plan around. Why not an Emmys weekend with all 116 categories, Friday through Sunday?

Give artisans the spotlight

The Creative Arts ceremonies could get their own red carpets and live broadcasts, plus performances of nominated songs. Crafts that make shows possible have been kept out of view for decades.

The rules need fixing too

The problems go past the telecast to categories, ballots and who voters even see. The Academy needs a task force with people from every part of the industry, not small groups fixing one category at a time.

Weigh every idea together

Ideas on the table include a reality performer category, standard nominee counts, opt-in voting after watching the work and more room for digital creators. They should be judged together, in the open.

“Does this system still make sense for the television industry we actually have?”

Same show, fewer safety nets

The Grammys head to ABC in 2027, and the Tonys stay on CBS with a Paramount+ simulcast. Without real changes, Prime Video could leave the Emmys where they are, just with less backup. And hire John Mulaney to host.

“only with fewer parachutes when things go wrong.”