Could we be coming to the last gasp of the Emmy telecast as we know it? After CBS airs this year’s Primetime Emmys on Sept. 14, the clock starts ticking on the future of where the kudocast might be found. That’s because on Sept. 15, the Television Academy can begin negotiating a new broadcast deal for the ceremony.

The current Emmy “wheel deal” with the four major broadcast networks, which alternate airing the show annually, expires in 2026. Under the arrangement, NBC is set to air next year’s Emmys; after that, the rights to the telecast are up in the air. Later this month, the Television Academy will start the exploratory talks on whether to simply continue the wheel — which has been in place since 1995 — or do something completely different.

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