Prime Video has won the global rights to the Emmy Awards under a six-year agreement with the Television Academy, ending the broadcast-TV "Wheel Deal" era of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

Amazon will pay roughly $15 million per year for the global rights, according to reports. The previous Wheel Deal cost around $8 million to $10 million per year — and covered only U.S. rights.

What changes for viewers?

The event will continue to air in September, and it will not sit behind a paywall, according to Prime Video and the Television Academy. Prime Video also plans to build the awards show into a "year-round cultural celebration."

"Television has never been more global, and the Emmys should be a celebration that the world can share," Cris Abrego, chair of the Television Academy, said in a statement. "Now, Prime Video audiences in more than 200 countries will be able to experience the Emmys live with no subscription required."

The move comes as the telecast faces declining linear reach. The 78th Emmys on NBC recently averaged around 6.7 million viewers, down 10% year over year. Mariska Hargitay hosted that ceremony, at which Apple TV's Widow's Bay won 14 total Emmys.

Why streaming platforms want awards shows

The Emmys are the second major awards franchise to migrate from broadcast to streaming in quick succession. The Oscars struck a multiyear deal to air on YouTube starting in 2029.

For Amazon, the Emmy rights extend a live-events strategy aimed at reaching audiences in more than 200 countries without a paywall barrier. For the Television Academy, the deal nearly doubles the licensing revenue the Wheel Deal generated while taking the ceremony global for the first time.

The first Prime Video Emmy telecast under the new agreement will test whether a streaming distributor can reverse a decade-long viewership slide for awards shows.