Emmys may follow the Oscars and leave broadcast TV

For the last 31 years, the Emmys have moved along the so-called “wheel deal,” circulating between the four networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC) for a rumored $8 million a year. But the Emmys, like every other award show, are about ratings, and the streamers are better at hiding viewership data and have infinitely more disposable resources than constantly flailing networks. The Emmys still pull in a decent number—hovering between 8 and 10 million viewers in the last decade, which is huge when you consider how many people tune into another industry’s work event—but at Prime Video, they wouldn’t even need to promote those numbers. However, history has already determined the dangers of going against the wheel. As Variety notes, the “wheel deal” was put in place because when Fox first launched, it bought the Emmys to bolster the fledgling station. Ratings immediately collapsed, and the powers that be established the handoff system. Now Reacher’s here to break the wheel and any winners who dare to give a slightly longer-than-expected acceptance speech. Winners, you’ve been warned.