Music’s biggest night is undergoing an unprecedented change of tune, as was announced on Wednesday, October 30.
The Grammy Awards, which aired on CBS for the past 54 years, will instead be broadcast on Disney’s networks and streaming services. The move isn’t immediate but will take place starting in 2027.
The surprising shakeup was shared by Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden and The Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. in a press release. The “10-year global deal” will see the annual music ceremony simulcast on ABC, Hulu, and Disney+ through 2036. That means starting in 2027, the Grammys will air on TV on ABC, not CBS.
“As The Walt Disney Company combines forces with The Recording Academy to open this exciting new chapter in the history of ‘The GRAMMYS,’ we do so with pride and gratitude,” Walden said in the statement. “Live events have never been more important to our culture and industry, and we just acquired one of the crown jewels, adding to our portfolio of world-class programming across all genres.”
He continued: “As The Walt Disney Company combines forces with The Recording Academy to open this exciting new chapter in the history of The Grammys, we do so with pride and gratitude. Live events have never been more important to our culture and industry, and we just acquired one of the crown jewels, adding to our portfolio of world-class programming across all genres.”
Come 2027, the start of the agreement, Disney/ABC will corner the market with three of TV’s biggest live events, as was mentioned in the statement. The network not only air The Grammys, but also The Oscars and Super Bowl LXI. In addition, the company maintains its staple live shows, The CMA Awards and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.
The most recent Grammys aired on Sunday, February 4, 2024, averaging 16.9 million viewers, a 34% uptick from the 2023 awards, and its largest audience since 2020.
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Meanwhile, the Recording Academy, a group of music industry professionals who vote on who wins the coveted awards, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year, has undergone sweeping changes as of late, including the addition of 3,000 new women voting members.
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