Grammy Awards to shift from CBS to Disney platforms

The Recording Academy has announced a landmark 10-year agreement to move the Grammy Awards telecast from its longtime home at CBS to Disney’s platforms beginning in 2027. After more than five decades with CBS, the deal marks a significant shift for music’s biggest night.

Under the new agreement, the Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcast simultaneously across ABC, Disney+, and Hulu, expanding its reach across multiple platforms. The deal encompasses both traditional broadcast and streaming services, reflecting the evolving media landscape.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. expressed enthusiasm about the transition in a statement. “We are completely thrilled to be bringing ‘The GRAMMYS’ and other new music programming to the Disney ecosystem,” he said. “We are grateful to our long-standing partners at CBS and now honored to be joining with Disney, an iconic company where creators have always been at the forefront. This partnership represents another important milestone in the Academy’s transformation and growth, and strengthens our ability to fulfill our mission of uplifting and serving music people around the world.”

The partnership extends beyond the annual awards ceremony, with plans to develop additional Grammy-centric music specials and television productions. Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden emphasized the significance of live events in current media consumption. “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,” Walden stated.

This transition comes during a period of substantial transformation within the Recording Academy itself. The organization has recently expanded its membership by adding 3,000 new women voting members, significantly altering the composition of its 13,000-member voting body. Notable changes include a 65% increase in members who identify as people of color since 2019, while female membership has grown by 27%.

In a recent interview, Mason addressed these demographic shifts, explaining the Academy’s strategic approach to diversity. “What we are doing is we are looking at the membership that we have, and we are comparing that to what is going on in our music community — who is making the music, what is their gender, what is their age, what is their ethnicity,” he said. “And then we are trying to make sure that our membership is representative of that.”