The Recording Academy has a new home starting in 2027. ABC, Hulu, and Disney+ will carry the Grammys for ten years. The 68th ceremony, held February 1 at Crypto.com Arena, was the last under the current broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount+. That change, announced in October 2024, signals a strategic bet on streaming and network synergy. It is a bet the music industry will watch closely.
The real story of the night, however, was not the television contract. It was Kendrick Lamar. He won five awards. Record of the Year for “Luther.” Best Rap Album for GNX. A clean sweep of the rap categories. This is his second consecutive year as the night’s biggest winner. It is his fourth time winning five Grammys in a single ceremony. The math matters. With these wins, Lamar surpassed Jay-Z to become the most-awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history. That is not a minor footnote. It is a changing of the guard, measured in hardware.
Lamar’s dominance reflects a broader shift in what the Recording Academy rewards. He is a lyricist, a storyteller, an artist whose work operates on multiple levels. The Grammys have not always favored that kind of depth in hip-hop. They have. Repeatedly. That pattern is now established.
Bad Bunny won Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. It is the first Spanish-language album to win the top prize. He is the third Latino artist to receive the honor. This is not a one-off. It is a continuation of a trend the academy has been building toward for years. The voting body is acknowledging a music market that has long been global. Spanish-language music is not a niche. It is the mainstream. Bad Bunny’s win makes that official in the Grammys’ own record books.
Trevor Noah hosted for the sixth consecutive time. He said it was his last. The academy will need a new face for the ABC era. That is a small but real transition point. Hosts set a tone. Noah’s run was steady, professional, and largely controversy-free. The next choice will signal something about the direction the academy wants to take.
The 68th Grammys were the 23rd year the ceremony was held at Crypto.com Arena. It has been the venue since 1973. That is a long run. The move to ABC breaks that geographic continuity, though the ceremony will likely remain in Los Angeles. The bigger break is in distribution. Streaming is no longer an add-on. It is the primary delivery system for a growing share of viewers. The Hulu and Disney+ deal reflects that reality.
Billie Eilish was also a notable winner, though the report does not specify her categories. Her presence on the winners list reinforces the academy’s willingness to reward young, commercially dominant artists who also carry critical weight. She and Lamar represent two poles of the same phenomenon: the Grammys are betting on artists who sell and who matter.
What comes next is the ABC era. The ten-year deal runs through 2037. That is a long time in media. The academy is locking in a partner before the landscape shifts again. It is a defensive move and an offensive one. CBS carried the show for decades. The switch is a recognition that the old broadcast model, even with streaming add-ons, no longer fits the way people watch.
The 68th Grammys were a transition point disguised as a normal awards show. A new broadcast home. A new most-awarded hip-hop artist. A historic Album of the Year winner. The academy is moving. The question is whether the audience moves with it.
