NBC Could Lose Major Awards Show Broadcast to Amazon You Should Know
On Monday night, NBC aired the 78th Emmy Awards, which also streamed live on Peacock.
But the golden statue may not want to get too comfortable at the three letter network.
Variety reported exclusively on Tuesday that the awards show could be jumping ship to Amazon. Their report states: ” According to insiders, the Television Academy is in advanced talks to park the annual Emmy telecast at Amazon Prime Video.”
Though the move would certainly look different from what viewers are accustomed too – the Emmys have shifted between NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX over the last three-plus decades – it would seemingly make business sense.
TV Insider reports that NBC’s viewership from Monday’s Emmys dropped by nearly 10% from last year, attracting 6.7 million viewers. However, the website also noted that the awards show delivered, “the biggest reach ever on Peacock for a non-holiday NBC entertainment special, behind only previous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades.”
By comparison, 2025’s award show tallied 7.4 million viewers on CBS, and ABC had 6.9 million eyes on the broadcast two years ago.
NBC’s dip in viewership numbers could also be attributed to airing the Emmys on a Monday evening, a move that was made to avoid competing with Sunday Night Football.
The current deal between the Emmy Awards and NBC/network television expires this year, opening the window for Amazon to negotiate the move. And it wouldn’t be the first of its kind. YouTube has already reached an agreement to stream the Oscars in 2029.
If 2026 ends up being the final non-streaming Emmy Awards broadcast, it will have gone out as a memorable one. Mariska Hargitay hosted and witnessed Apple TV+’s Widow’s Bay take home 14 awards. The lead actor in Widow’s Bay, Matthew Rhys became the first actor to win Emmys for two separate lead actor categories in the same night. He won for Widow’s Bay and The Beast in Me.
