Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini host the 2023 CMT Music Awards, which happens in Austin, Texas, Sunday, April 2 on CBS and Paramount Plus. The event takes place at the Moody Center. 

Brown and wife Katelyn will perform their song “Thank God.”

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the CMT Next Women of Country (NWOC) franchise, Alanis Morissette will make her CMT Music Awards debut alongside NWOC alumni Ingrid Andress, Lainey Wilson, Madeline Edwards and Morgan Wade, as they play the Morissette hit “You Oughta Know.”

Gwen Stefani will make her CMT Awards debut as a performer as she sings with Carly Pearce. Shania Twain will pick up the CMT Equal Play Award, which recognizes an artist who is a visible and vocal advocate for elevating diverse and underrepresented voices in country music. 

Also playing the CMT Music Awards are Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, The Black Crowes + Darius Rucker, and Tyler Hubbard and Wynonna + Ashley McBryde. 

Lainey Wilson has four nominations. Cody Johnson, Kane Brown and Jelly Roll have three. 

Margaret Comeaux (CMT), John Hamlin (Switched On Entertainment), Leslie Fram (CMT) and Jason Owen (Sandbox Entertainment) are executive producers.

CBS aired the event for the first time last year. CMT began airing the gala in 2005. CBS and CMT are part of Paramount Global. 

Brown and Ballerini hosted the 2021 CMT Music Awards. Brown, Ballerini and Anthony Mackie hosted last year’s awards. ■

CBS on Monday (April 11) will air live the CMT Music Awards, which celebrate the best in country music, but the CMT cable network will keep the music playing with a week-long lineup of special awards programming leading up to its own re-airing of the event.

The move of the CMT Music Awards show to CBS and Paramount Plus from CMT is expected to provide more audience exposure for the event as well as for the CMT brand, according to Margaret Comeaux, CMT VP of production, music & events. This year’s award show, hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and Anthony Mackie, will feature performances by Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood and The Judds. Kenny Chesney is set to close the show.

“We get to be in front of hopefully a bigger audience who will experience it and see what we’re doing,” Comeaux told Multichannel News. “We’ve had a great response to our show in years past on CMT, and I think we’re hoping for the same thing on CBS.”

Also: Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert to Perform at CMT Music Awards 

Despite not having the live telecast, CMT will look to build viewer momentum for its April 15 extended cut CMT Music Awards rebroadcast -- which will feature additional performances -- with a week-long lineup of CMT Awards-themed programming, Comeaux said. Prior to the live CMT Music Awards event, the network’s first-ever “CMT Music Awards Week” will feature an April 9 Hot 20 Countdown Live special as well as an April 11 Red Carpet special. 

After the live show, the network will air several specials, including CMT Storytellers: Brooks & Dunn (premiering April 13) and CMT Crossroads: Leann Rimes & Friends (April 14). 

Comeaux said she expects the CMT Music Awards to draw additional viewers through CBS, although she would not project viewership numbers. “Our awards show is so focused on the fans, so we view this as their night,” she said. “I'm very enthusiastic about what's gonna happen, and I think the audience is really gonna love it.” ■

Shortly after the death of iconic actress Betty White was announced, CMT said it would run a marathon of The Golden Girls on January 3.

White played Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. It was one of White’s best-known roles in a TV career that spanned seven decades.

“We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Betty White. She was an icon who blazed many trails - our hearts go out to her friends and legions of fans around the world during this difficult time,” CMT said in a statement.

Also: Betty White Through the Years: Photos From 'Golden Girls' to 'Hot in Cleveland'

CMT is part of ViacomCBS. White also starred in Hot in Cleveland, an original comedy series for Viacom’s TV Land that ran from 2010 to 2015.

CMT’s Golden Girls marathon will start at 9 a.m. ET on January 3 and run through 4 a.m. the following morning. ■

The live return of the CMT Artists of the Year awards show Wednesday drew its biggest audiences since 2017.

The Artists of the Year has been sidelined since 2019 because of the pandemic, but this year’s edition televised live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

The telecast drew a 0.193 rating among people 18 to 49, up 42% from 2019, according to figures from Nielsen. The show’s share was up 90%. Among viewers 25-54, ratings were up 47% and share gained 92%.

The awards show rated highest among men 25-34 (up 8%) and it registered a 114% increase among young women 18 to 24.

While many TV awards shows have been audience challenged, the gains for the Artist of the Year telecast follows June’s CMT Music Awards, which also grew its ratings. The CMT awards were up 10% in total viewers, airing across six ViacomCBS networks as a simulcast. The CMT Music Awards will appear on CBS in 2022.

Also Read: 'MTV Movie & TV Awards' Brings in Higher Ratings With Young Viewers

The CMT Artists of the Year kicked off with Luke Combs performing his hit Forever After All and accepting his award from friend Eric Church.

The evening concluded with Walker Hayes performing his viral phenomenon Fancy Like.

The show also was big on social media, where it was the No. 3 cable telecast of the night with 167,800 interactions. Organic video viewers were up 60% to 14.5 million from 2019 and engagements were up 77% from 2019.

The 2021 CMT Artists of the Year was executive produced by CMT’s Margaret Comeaux and Switched On Entertainment’s John Hamlin. Amy Lin Johnson serves as co-executive producer. The executives in charge of production are Jackie Barba and Heather D. Graffagnino. Leslie Fram is executive in charge of talent. Shanna Strassberg is talent producer.

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the 7-day period through June 13.

On the strength of 227.1 million TV ad impressions, an ABC spot for The Celebrity Dating Game takes first place. The previous week’s ranking was topped by an America’s Got Talent promo, but this week it drops to fourth.

Meanwhile, TBS hypes new game show The Cube in second, and a CMT promo for the CMT Music Awards takes third.

Closing out the ranking, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries gives some love to Aurora Teagarden Mysteries in fifth.

Notably, the America’s Got Talent spot has this week’s highest iSpot Attention Index (107), meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch it all the way through (vs. interrupting it by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) The Celebrity Dating Game, ABC

Impressions: 227,127,081

Interruption Rate: 1.55%

Attention Index: 92 (8% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 93%, Local 5%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,745,655

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $187,623

2) The Cube, TBS

Impressions: 218,069,642

Interruption Rate: 1.79%

Attention Index: 99 (1% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 95%, Local 4%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,686,132

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $216,219

3) 2021 CMT Music Awards, CMT

Impressions: 186,441,251

Interruption Rate: 2.34%

Attention Index: 105 (5% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 81%, Local 17%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $472,109

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $130,727

4) America’s Got Talent, NBC

Impressions: 185,299,540

Interruption Rate: 1.99%

Attention Index: 107 (7% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 93%, Local 6%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,083,018

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $5,844

5) Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Impressions: 180,150,448

Interruption Rate: 3.96%

Attention Index: 106 (6% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $941,090

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the 7-day period through June 6.

On the strength of 299.2 million TV ad impressions, NBC’s promo for the summer return of America’s Got Talent takes first place — the second week in a row the show tops our chart.

Meanwhile, in second place, CMT hypes the 2021 CMT Music Awards, airing Wednesday (June 9); ABC gives some love to, well, love — The Bachelorette version of love, at least — in third; and new TBS game show The Cube (premiering June 10) gets a dramatic promo in fourth place.

Rounding out the ranking is a spot for Hallmark Channel’s new TV movie You Had Me at Aloha.

Notably, the CMT Music Awards spot has this week’s highest iSpot Attention Index (108), meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch it all the way through (vs. interrupting it by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) America's Got Talent, NBC

Impressions: 299,163,804

Interruption Rate: 1.57%

Attention Index: 102 (2% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 94%, Local 5%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,164,737

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $476,968

2) 2021 CMT Music Awards, CMT

Impressions: 287,890,679

Interruption Rate: 2.12%

Attention Index: 108 (8% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 91%, Local 8%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,305,574

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $40,115

3) The Bachelorette, ABC

Impressions: 246,782,400

Interruption Rate: 1.17%

Attention Index: 95 (5% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 92%, Local 6%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,199,741

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $393,630

4) The Cube, TBS

Impressions: 205,734,032

Interruption Rate: 1.78%

Attention Index: 103 (3% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 96%, Local 3%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,334,766

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $116,939

5) You Had Me at Aloha, Hallmark Channel

Impressions: 202,341,769

Interruption Rate: 5.31%

Attention Index: 97 (3% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 2%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,029,662

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $140,761

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the 7-day period through May 30.

On the strength of 312.6 million TV ad impressions, NBC's promo for the summer return of America's Got Talent takes first place. Two other competitions of sorts also make the cut: Fox hypes Lego Masters in third place while Country Music Television gives some love to the 2021 CMT Music Awards in fourth.

Rounding out the ranking are promos for two personality-driven shows: HGTV's Home Town Takeover, led by husband-and-wife reno team Ben and Erin Napier, in second place, and Nat Geo’s Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, starring the celebrity chef/adventurer, in fifth.

Notably, the Uncharted spot has this week’s highest iSpot Attention Index (132), meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch it all the way through (vs. interrupting it by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) America's Got Talent, NBC

Impressions: 312,560,529

Interruption Rate: 1.46%

Attention Index: 109 (9% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 95%, Local 4%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,934,780

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $455,803

2) Home Town Takeover, HGTV

Impressions: 242,887,209

Interruption Rate: 1.54%

Attention Index: 112 (12% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,120,660

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $847

3) Lego Masters, Fox

Impressions: 240,676,028

Interruption Rate: 1.23%

Attention Index: 98 (2% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 93%, Local 6%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $462,134

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $1,357,801

4) 2021 CMT Music Awards, Country Music Television (CMT)

Impressions: 221,018,850

Interruption Rate: 1.68%

Attention Index: 117 (17% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 96%, Local 3%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,179,558

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $7,450

5) Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, National Geographic

Impressions: 184,616,127

Interruption Rate: 2.21%

Attention Index: 132 (32% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 87%, Local 12%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $511,577

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $677,323

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the seven-day period through Oct. 18.

On the strength of just under 273 million TV ad impressions, a promo for Discovery’s Street Outlaws is No. 1. The series about street racing sets a competitive tone for our ranking, continued by promos for game show Supermarket Sweep (ABC) in second place, the 2020 CMT Music Awards (CMT) in third and The Voice (NBC) in fourth.

Disney Channel closes out the list with a general network promo celebrating Disney princesses. Notably, the Disney spot has the highest iSpot Attention Index (117) in our ranking, meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch it all the way through (vs. interrupting it by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Street Outlaws, Discovery Channel

Impressions: 272,980,009

Completion Rate: 98.53

Attention Index: 102 (2% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 99%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,816,278

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

2) Supermarket Sweep, ABC

Impressions: 266,175,603

Completion Rate: 98.63

Attention Index: 107 (7% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 85%, Local 13%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $2,302,881

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $1,634,228

3) 2020 CMT Music Awards, Country Music Television (CMT)

Impressions: 261,917,128

Completion Rate: 96.60

Attention Index: 106 (6% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 77%, Local 21%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,703,600

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $136,409

4) The Voice, NBC

Impressions: 254,413,022

Completion Rate: 88.53

Attention Index: 110 (10% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 86%, Local 12%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $3,581,424

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $640,433

5) My Favorite Princess Story, Disney Channel

Impressions: 236,254,180

Completion Rate: 97.90

Attention Index: 117 (17% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $2,890,114

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

TV networks will honor Burt Reynolds with special programming marathons featuring the legendary actor, who passed away on Thursday (Sept. 6.)

CMT on Friday (Sept. 7) will air The Bandit, a 2016 documentary about Reynolds’ popular movie franchise Smokey & The Bandit. The network will also air the 2004 Reynolds film, Without A Paddle, immediately after the documentary, according to network officials.

Digital multicast TV network getTV will air episodes from Reynolds’ classic TV series Dan August and Hawk. Four episodes of the 1971 police drama Dan August, in which Reynolds starred as a suave police detective -- as well as four episodes of the 1960’s cop series Hawk starring Reynolds as a Native American police detective in New York City -- will air on Sept. 15 and Sept. 22, said network officials.

MeTV will showcase Reynolds’ appearances in the classic Western series Gunsmoke beginning Sept. 10. The digital multicast network will air six episodes featuring Reynolds’ character Quint Asper in the long-running 1960’s series. Overall, Reynolds appeared in 50 Gunsmoke episodes, according to the network.

The fallout from Roseanne Barr’s racist Twitter comments continued Tuesday afternoon as several Viacom networks announced the removal of reruns from the original Roseanne series beginning tomorrow.

A Viacom spokesman confirmed that the Paramount Network, CMT and TV Land will discontinue its carriage of episodes from the 1990s Roseanne series beginning May 30. 

RELATED: ABC Cancels 'Roseanne' over Racist Twitter Remarks 

The decision comes after the series’ star Roseanne Barr released a racist Twitter rant earlier in the day in which she likened former President Obama adviser Valarie Jarrett to an offspring of the “Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes.”

Hours after the Tweet -- which Barr eventually removed and apologized  for -- ABC cancelled its successful Roseanne reboot, which had already been renewed for a second season.

Comedy-themed broadcast diginet service Laff also announced that it will no longer carry Roseanne episodes. The network said in a statement: “While we believe viewers have always distinguished the personal behavior of the actress Roseanne Barr from the television character Roseanne Connor, we are disgusted by Barr’s comments this week. Therefore, we are removing the original Roseanne series from the Laff schedule for the time being, effective immediately.”

CMT’s drama series Nashville will end its run with its upcoming sixth season, series officials confirmed Friday.

The county music-themed series, which stars Hayden Panettiere, Clare Bowen and Chris Carmack, premiered its first season on CMT last year after airing its first four seasons on ABC. Its sixth and final season will debut Jan. 4 on CMT, according to series producer Lionsgate.

 “After more than 120 episodes of unforgettable television, we believe that creatively it is time for the series to come to its triumphant close at the end of the upcoming season,” said Kevin Beggs, chairman of the Lionsgate Television Group in a statement. “We’re very proud of our incredibly talented cast and crew, the creative brilliance of our showrunners, and the loyal support of our great partners at CMT, Hulu and ABC Studios.  Most importantly, we owe a special debt of thanks to the Nashville fans who propelled the series to an incredible run.  We owe it to them to make the 6th season the most exciting and memorable of all.”

Nashville is executive produced by Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick (Thirtysomething), Steve Buchanan and Callie Khouri, who created the series.

CMT will celebrate the life and legacy of country music star Glen Campbell with a special airing this Thursday (Aug. 10).

The 30-minute news special, CMT Remembers Glen Campbell, will be hosted by CMT’s Cody Alan and Katie Cook and will feature rare archival photos, interviews and performances from the musical icon, who died Tuesday from complications related to Alzheimer's disease.  

The special will also feature some of the best moments from variety series The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1972. In addition, the special will feature tributes from Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and Reba McEntire, CMT said.

Kellie Pickler is looking at a busy couple of months. Season three of the country music artist’s unscripted series I Love Kellie Pickler debuts on CMT Aug. 3, and her syndicated talk show, Pickler & Ben, an E.W. Scripps Co. creation shot in front of a Nashville studio audience, debuts Sept. 18.

Pickler promised a lot of laughs in the new season of I Love Kellie Pickler. She called it a “feel-good show” but one that also spotlights things she holds dear, such as the military. Pickler recently concluded a USO tour in Iraq, her 11th with the organization.

“We’ll shine a light on things we feel passionate about,” Pickler told The Wire.

The new season, she said, offers both a North Carolina episode — her old friend Jenny joins her and husband Kyle Jacobs there — and a Minnesota one, with a friend of Kyle’s from back home visiting. They’ll also venture to Alaska. Pickler said the state has long been on her bucket list. She and Kyle try dog-sledding there. “We’re adventure chasers and adrenaline junkies,” she said.

Pickler was on the fifth season of American Idol in 2006, making it to the final six. She’s pumped for the new Idol on ABC. “I’m excited to see how they reinvent it and find new ways to make it more interesting,” she said.

Pickler & Ben is executive produced by Faith Hill. Besides cooking and home-design segments, Pickler said she and journalist Ben Aaron will “shine a light on small businesses,” with one or two featured in each episode. HSN is a partner on the show.

“We’ll support the locals and put the focus back on them,” she said. “The whole show will be shoppable.”

It’s a hectic time, but Pickler said that’s how she prefers it. “It’s a good problem to have,” she said. “I don’t do well being still for too long.”

CMT has turned its CMT Music Awards into a three-day party in Nashville, and a record number of sponsors have turned out for the festivities.

The Viacom network has rebranded around “modern country” to attract a more diverse audience and has seen ratings rise with new programming, including the former ABC drama Nashville.

The CMT Music Awards, airing Wednesday night (June 7), is the network’s biggest event. Last year ratings were up 20%, attracting a record 3.6 million total viewers as it aired on CMT, TV Land and Nick at Nite.

“We noticed that our audience has started to grow and we’re bringing in the country music audience. Not only are they coming in, but they’re staying,” said Adam Steingart, senior vice president of integrated marketing for CMT. “We realized this is a great opportunity for us to also grow the size and footprint of what’s going on around our largest tentpole event, the CMT Music Awards.”

One of the priorities for new Viacom CEO Bob Bakish is having its networks create more events in the physical world. At its Movie & TV Awards earlier this year, MTV held a Music & Television Festival, featuring live music, special guests and food outside the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, where the awards were telecast. Comedy Central just held its three-day Clusterfest comedy festival in San Francisco, and BET has surrounded its annual award show with the BET Experience.

Related: Viacom’s Bakish Touts Skinny Bundles

“The country audience is an audience that people don’t always pay attention to, but they’re out there and they’re a large number of people who have made it the most popular format in music," Steingart said. "So we wanted to create an experience that can serve those folks. People get to not only interact with the CMT brand but also our sponsors’ brands along the way.”

The expanded CMT Music Awards has attracted a record number of sponsors, which in turn means higher revenue for the event, Steingart said.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

CMT has renamed its Million Dollar Quartet music-themed scripted series Sun Records, the network said Wednesday.

The limited eight-part series, based on the Broadway musical of the historic recording sessions featuring Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, will debut on CMT Feb. 23, said network officials.

Sun Records will join Nashville – which CMT picked up after ABC cancelled the series earlier this year – and Still The King as music themed scripted series as part of CMT's 2017 lineup.

Fox on Wednesday (Dec. 14) will launch its music-themed series Star, the latest entry in a genre that so far this year has hit several sour notes.

The series, which takes over the prime time timeslot of Fox’s hit music series Empire, will look to strike a chord with viewers who tuned out of several cable-based music shows this year.

After much fanfare and a second season green light, HBO’s Martin Scorsese/Mick Jagger ’70 s executive-produced rock ‘n’ roll drama Vinyl failed to hit with viewers, and was canceled four months after it premiered this past February.

Showtime hoped viewers would dance to the beat of its drama Roadies, which followed the lives of crew members for major performers. But the network canceled the Cameron Crowe-produced show before it opened for a second season.

FX’s Denis Leary-helmed comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll was silenced this past September after two seasons of so-so ratings.

While Empire continues to deliver big ratings for Fox, the task of developing a successful scripted series around the music business is not an exact science, according to Eric Deggans, the media and TV critic for National Public Radio, who is also a musician. While music has broad appeal, Deggans said viewers tend to gravitate to shows that weave music themes into otherwise dramatic, soap opera-esque storylines rather than shows that focus on the nuts and bolts of the music industry itself.

 “I think the way to have a successful show has been shown by Empire and [FX freshman series] Atlanta — you have to figure out ways in which the music is paired with some other attraction so that you get a wide range of viewers,” he said. “When you do feature the music, it has to be strong and authentic.”

Indeed, the Donald Glover-created Atlanta, which focuses on two cousins trying to navigate the ATL’s rap scene, has found an audience. The series’s Sept. 6 premiere drew the network’s second-biggest audience for a series debut, with 3 million viewers. Atlanta has already been renewed for a second season.

CMT is singing the praises of ABC’s cancelled country music-themed Nashville. The cable network will offer an early preview of its season-five premiere on Dec. 15 and  will officially launch the season on Jan. 5.

Star will get its chance to serenade television viewers with the hopes of making beautiful ratings music within a genre that’s delivered mixed results in 2016.

Pictured (from left):Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny and Brittany O'Grady, the stars of Fox's new series Star, premiering Dec. 14.

CMT has ordered a new scripted pilot, His Wives & Daughters, as part of its scripted lineup that will feature the Jan. 5 season five debut of Nashville and the March premiere of freshman drama Million Dollar Quartet, said network officials.

The comedy pilot, His Wives & Daughters, centers on the exploits of the wives and daughters of larger-than-life country music legend Eddie Ray Banks. The pilot is created and produced by Dina Chapman and Steve Sessions, with Jayson Dinsmore and Julia Silverton as executive producers for CMT, said network officials.

His Wives & Daughters along with Nashville -- which CMT acquired earlier this year after it was cancelled by ABC after four seasons -- and Million Dollar Quartet join sophomore comedy series Still The King as part of the network’s scripted lineup, according to network officials. Last month the network renewed the Billy Ray Cyrus-starrer for a second season.

Related: CMT's Jayson Dinsmore discusses the network's scripted series strategy (VIDEO)

“After a promising start with Still the King, we now have a clear path in attracting new audiences with our scripted programming,” said Jayson Dinsmore, CMT’s head of development in a statement. “Beginning with Nashville in January, each series will help launch the next; creating an overlay to cycle viewers through our originals year round.”

 CMT has renewed its music-themed comedy Still The King for a sophomore campaign, the network said Wednesday.

The series, which stars Billy Ray Cyrus as a one-hit wonder turned Elvis impersonator turned preacher who also discovers he has a teenaged daughter, is averaging 4.7 million viewers in live + 3 ratings during its freshman run, according to Nielsen.

The 13-episode second season will air in 2017. The finale of season one of the series premieres Aug. 14, said network officials.

“The success of Still The King is a wonderful start for our move into scripted programming,” said Jayson Dinsmore, EVP of development for CMT. “Both charming and irreverent, this series is like nothing else on television and we can’t wait to continue the journey.”

CMT in August will air the documentary film The Bandit, which chronicles the development of the hit 1970’s film Smokey & The Bandit.

The film, which debuted earlier this year at SXSW, profiles actor Burt Reynolds, his best friend, roommate and stunt-double Hal Needham, and their work together in developing the car-chase comedy Smokey & The Bandit, which starred Reynolds, Sally Field and Jackie Gleason.

The Bandit is executively produced and directed by Jesse Moss, with Jayson Dinsmore, Lewis Bogach and John Miller-Monzon also serving as executive producers for CMT.

Cable networks and streaming services are turning up the volume on music, cueing up scripted shows designed to hit the right notes with audiences.

From Million Dollar Quartet, CMT’s historical look at the birth of rock ‘n’ roll, to Roadies, Showtime’s series about a concert setup crew, to BET’s biographical miniseries New Edition Story, cable networks are mixing pop music with drama in an effort to strike a chord with a broader young audience.

“Music is the great unifier,” Cherie Saunders, TV editor for black entertainment-news website EurWeb.com, said. “If you can tap into a fan base and just feed them a constant diet of that genre of music through whatever drama vehicle you’re presenting, I think that combination can generate a hit series.”

The music component also allows programmers to extend the marketing mix for a series beyond television, into digital album and single sales for original music tied to the show — another way to reach younger viewers.

“Music is an element that brings in younger audiences to drama that might otherwise skew typically older,” TV One president Brad Siegel said. “It’s a way to bring 18-34 and 18-49 viewers into drama.”

Scripted series that play off popular music trends aren’t new to television. Sitcoms like The Monkees (1966-68) and The Partridge Family (1970- 74) had a long shelf life in reruns. More recently, Fox’s Glee and ABC’s recently canceled Nashville took music-themed TV into new terrain.

And on the cable side, music-themed biopics like last year’s Whitney, Lifetime’s take on the life of pop diva Whitney Houston, and HBO’s Bessie, which starred Queen Latifah as blues icon Bessie Smith, have generated big ratings and garnered critical acclaim.

But it’s the success of Fox’s hip-hop themed Empire that’s helped the genre hit a high note with viewers. Music serves as a strong backup player to the dramatic series’ soap opera-like storyline.

Empire, which depicts the triumphs and struggles of a family-run music enterprise, was the top freshman show on both broadcast and cable during the 2015-16 television season and remained among the most-watched shows by adults 18-49 during its sophomore campaign.

“The music is important, but I think the other elements of storytelling, production value and amazing characters are just as big a contributor to the show’s success as having music and music performers,” Siegel said of Empire, for which TV One in April secured rare in-season distribution rights.

Last month, the network scored the biggest Memorial Day weekend ratings in its history by running an Empire marathon.

While just about everyone has an emotional relationship with music, not everyone likes the same types of music, Showtime president and CEO David Nevins said.

Ultimately, music serves as a way to draw viewers to the drama, with the characters and the storyline providing the glue that keeps them coming back each week, said Nevins, whose Showtime will launch Roadies on June 26.

Produced by Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) and J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Roadies follows the backstage workers who build and break down the stage for a touring rock band.

STORY MATTERS, TOO

Other distributors have been successful in melding music themes with strong storylines. Amazon scored a hit with its sophomore dramedy series Mozart in the Jungle. The classical music-based series won two 2016 Golden Globe awards for best comedy series and best actor in a comedy or musical series for star Gael Garcia Bernal.

FX’s Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, which follows Denis Leary (also a producer) as an aging rock star trying to resurrect his career with the help of his musically inclined estranged daughter, returns for a second season in July, while HBO’s 1970s rock music-themed series Vinyl — despite so-so reviews and less than stellar audience numbers — returns for a second season in 2017.

Netflix will also revisit the 1970s in The Get Down, a series that will focus on the rise of hiphop music late in that decade.

CMT is hoping viewers will make hits of two music-based scripted series: Million Dollar Quartet and Still the King, which stars countrymusic veteran Billy Ray Cyrus as a one-hit-wonder-turned-Elvis impersonator who hits rock bottom before discovering he has a 15-year-old daughter.

CMT’s first scripted-series foray would naturally be rooted in music, given the channel’s country-music pedigree, CMT executive vice president of development Jayson Dinsmore said. But both shows will offer music that extends beyond the traditional Nashville sound, he said.“We didn’t just put the expected songs in Still the King — you’ll hear everything from the Rolling Stones to Modest Mouse, in addition to current country artists,” he said.

With Million Dollar Quartet, the network will look to extend the show’s brand to the Billboard charts by selling the show’s performances in music stores and on digital platforms, Dinsmore said.

All of the performances from Million Dollar Quartet will be available for purchase on iTunes after each episode airs. CMT is exploring the idea of a music tour involving the series’ stars once filming of the first season has ended.

Indeed, Saunders said Empire and Nashville effectively incorporated popular music both as part of the storyline as well as promotional tool to help expose the series to new audiences by selling songs from the series as part of digital single downloads and full albums.

Empire’s season-one soundtrack, released in March 2015, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart — the first TV soundtrack to launch at the top of the charts since Glee in 2010. By the time Empire launched its second season last October, the album had sold more than 431,000 copies and had been streamed online, either in part or in full, more than 122 million times, according to Nielsen.

SPINOFFS ARE KEY

“We have to look at all kinds of different benchmarks in order to determine what is a successful television series today, and a big part of that is fan engagement,” Dinsmore said. “The more we can offer up experiential things like a tour, the more goodwill we have around the channel.”

BET will also look to generate music sales from New Edition Story, the documentary miniseries based on the 1980s R&B boy band that spawned the careers of Bobby Brown and Bell Biv DeVoe.

BET president of programming Stephen Hill said the industry is just now striking up the band for even more music-based shows to serenade viewers. “There are some stories that can be told,” he said, adding that the network is exploring several music-based series of its own, although he would not disclose specifics.

Added EurWeb.com’s Saunders: “As long as the ratings continue to soar for these types of shows you’ll see more of them. It won’t be too long before we get a polka show or a bluegrass series.”

Cable networks CMT and AXS TV will pay tribute to legendary country music singer Merle Haggard, who passed away earlier today, with special programming airing over the next few days.

CMT tonight will air a special, CMT Remembers Merle Haggard, in tribute to the country star, who died Wednesday on his birthday at 79 years of age. The special will feature never-before-seen footage and interviews, vintage performance clips and commentary from Haggard himself as well as some of country music’s biggest stars, including Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, Florida Georgia Line, Vince Gill, Wynonna Judd, Dwight Yoakam, Brooks & Dunn and Bobby Bare.

Tomorrow, CMT and CMT Music will launch an all-day tribute featuring Haggard’s greatest songs and videos,network officials said.  

“Merle Haggard’s achievements must be counted among the greatest in all of popular music history, not just country music,” Brian Philips, president of CMT, said. "His poetic and melodic genius, and of course his indelible, influential voice, will live forever. CMT will honor our friend accordingly."

AXS TV Friday (April 8) will offer a special airing of its series The Big Interview, featuring Dan Rather's 2013 interview with Haggard, AXS officials said. In addition, the network on Friday will air the 2004 concert Merle Haggard-Live at Billy Bob’s Texas, which features Haggard singing several of his most popular songs, including "Ol’ Country Singer," Natural High" and his cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," the network said. 

HBO won a clean sweep of the top television categories during last night’s Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards ceremony. 

Game Of Thrones’ David Nutter won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement In A Dramatic Series for the fantasy series' “Mother’s Mercy” episode while Veep’s Chris Addison took home the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series for the series’ Election Night episode.

Also for HBO, Bessie’s Dee Rees was victorious in the Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Movies for Television and Miniseries category, according to the Director’s Guild.

In addition on the cable front, Adam Vetri won for best reality series for CMT’s Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge, “Gods Of War” episode and Kenny Ortega was triumphant in the children’s programs category for his direction of Disney Channel’s original movie Descendants.

The list of DGA Awards winners in the television category are as follows:

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in A Movie for Television and Miniseries

DEE REES
Bessie (HBO)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in A Dramatic Series

DAVID NUTTER
Game of Thrones, “Mother’s Mercy” (HBO)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in A Comedy Series

CHRIS ADDISON
Veep, “Election Night” (HBO)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled Programming

DAVE DIOMEDI
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, “Episode #325” (NBC)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials

DON ROY KING
Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special (NBC)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs

ADAM VETRI
Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge, “Gods of War” (CMT)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs

KENNY ORTEGA
Descendants (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials

ANDREAS NILSSON
Biscuit Filmworks

Emily’s Oz, Comcast – Goodby, Silverstein & Partners NY
Time Upon A Once, General Electric – BBDO
Dad Song, Old Spice – Wieden + Kennedy

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary

MATTHEW HEINEMAN
Cartel Land

CMT will sing the praises of rock n’ roll through its new scripted drama Million Dollar Quartet, the network said Wednesday.

The series, based on the Tony Award-winning musical of the same name, focuses on the 1950s musical collaboration of a young Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis and their meteoric rise to fame in the face of sweeping political change and social unrest.

The series will be produced by Thinkfactory Media, with Leslie Greif and Gil Grant serving as executive producers, and Colin Escott as producer, according to CMT.

“Million Dollar Quartet will capture the star-crossed Memphis moments which led to the most explosive pop culture movement of the 20th Century, the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” remarked Brian Philips, CMT president. “The characters are all larger-than-life, so casting is a daunting challenge, but we’re counting on the magic of Memphis to come alive again! This is among our most ambitious projects ever, and we entrust it to a proven epic filmmaker, Leslie Greif.”

Whether she’s at the Jersey Shore or having a Party Down South, reality show producer SallyAnn Salsano has her finger on the pulse of the reality TV viewer. As president of 495 Productions, Salsano has produced some of the most-watched and discussed reality series on cable in recent years, including MTV’s 2009 hit Jersey Shore, which for six seasons was the network’s most watched show and spawned several Salsano-produced spinoffs, including Snooki & JWOWW and The Show With Vinny. Most recently, Salsano has produced CMT’s most watched series ever, Party Down South, which last Thursday (Jan. 28) launched its fifth and final season. Salsano spoke about her thriving production company as well as the reality category at large with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead. An edited transcript of the interview follows.

MCN:This must be a bittersweet week for you with the launch of the final season of CMT’sParty Down South. Did you think the show would become the big hit that it did?

SallyAnn Salsano: I would say that I’m excited. It’s great to go out on top as the No. 1 show on the channel. On the flip side, I think the party is still going to go on. These kids have so much life left in them — this particular cast is just warming up.

MCN:You’ve carved out a niche in the reality genre with shows likeParty Down SouthandJersey Shore. What’s behind the appeal of these shows?

SAS: I think sometimes people underestimate how much people like to see other people in situations that they’re in. Sure, maybe these are heightened situations, but if you think back to any one of our lives, we’ve all done a lot of the stuff these people have done — just not on television.

I think the shows are really a modern-day after-school special. When I was a kid, I used to run home to watch those specials and say, “Oh no, Johnny broke up with his girlfriend because he cheated and here’s what happened.” Looking back at them now, they feel a little preachy, whereas with these [reality] shows, it’s a way to get a real sense of what’s happening without someone being judgey or feeling like you’re being talked down to.

MCN:A number ofJersey Shorealumni have gone on to do other projects. When you look at producing a show, are the characters more important to the show’s success than the situations they’re put in?

SAS: I think it’s the characters for sure, then it’s the environment you create for them. I think the success comes from the group, and they become super successful because they feed off of each other. It’s so real-life, and real-life situations — you can do a show like this 500 times as long as you have a different cast. You’re going to get different stories and different things that appeal to different age groups.

MCN:Industry observers are calling this period the Golden Age of Television because of all the quality scripted series offered across multiple platforms. Can the same be said about the reality category?

SAS: I think it’s all an ebb and flow. I think the success of shows like Empire made everyone say, “Oh my God,” and flip to that side. In the end it all balances out, and I honestly think that there’s enough room for all of us.

On the flip side, the only people that talk about scripted vs. reality shows are people that work in the business. If you ask the average person what are your favorite TV shows, they’re not like, “In scripted I watch this and in reality I watch that.” They just say their favorite TV shows. It doesn’t matter to them. It’s still casting, it’s still editing — its just a different way of doing it.

MCN:So what’s next for 495 Productions?

SAS: We have [WE tv’s] Ex-Isle up now, and I love it because a lot of people in their lives are in a relationship with someone, but then you break up but you kind of keep them on the back burner as your backup plan. But sometimes that backup plan does not allow you to get on with your life. It’s the modernday booty call — when the need calls, they just call their ex. This is a show where we get people together to say, look how wrong you are for each other … why are you torturing each other?

We’re also in production on a new season of Blue Collar Millionaires on CNBC and we have a new show on Lifetime (The Mother/ Daughter Experiment: Celebrity Edition, premiering March 1).

CMT will end its most-watched series Party Down South after its fifth season which launches later this month, the network said Thursday (Jan. 7).

The series, which follows the exploits of adults hanging together in the south for the summer, will debut its fifth season Jan. 28, according to network officials.

“Party Down South anchors our burgeoning Thursday night original programming block, attracting younger viewers and paving the way for shows like I Love Kellie Pickler,” said Brian Philips, president of CMT. “We owe it to the fans and the cast to end on a high note. We are grateful to everyone who made CMT’s Thirsty Thursdays a phenomenon.”

CMT said it will offer a marathon of Party Down South's 10-episosde season four beginning Jan. 23.

CMT has renewed its reality series Party Down South for a fifth season, the network announced Wednesday.

The series will return in 2016 with the show’s original cast, according to network officials. Party Down South is the network’s highest rated and most social original series averaging nearly 3 million total viewers across all platforms, according to network officials.

Party Down South is produced by 495 Productions, with SallyAnn Salsano, Joel Zimmer and Paul Storck serving as executive producers.

CMT is drafting the YouTube stars of the stunt-shot comedy program Dude Perfect onto the TV screen, projecting The Dude Perfect Show as a 2016 addition to the Viacom network's lineup. From Rob Dyrdek’s Superjacket Productions, the series will take the popular formula of comedy and live-action stunts and also follow around the follow the Dallas-based stars -- Tyler Toney, Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert and twins Coby and Cory Cotton. Want to see how they cook up their next idea in their mancave? They promised to make that happen in a video message to their fans today, using a trick shot to release a banner saying “Dude Perfect Coming to CMT in 2016.”

“We are super excited to be working with Superjacket and CMT on the series," the dudes said in a CMT release. "We have fans from all over the world constantly asking us for more visibility into the daily lives of Dude Perfect and how we get to work with these amazing athletes, entertainers and iconic sports venues. This show will regularly take fun to the next level and allow the viewers to virtually join us and be part of our incredible journeys.” 

"Way beyond the insane trick shots, these guys are truly an All-American brotherhood that turned a passion into an amazing business. This show will give their fans and the world an inside look at their camaraderie and the fun they have behind the viral hits they produce,"  executive producer Rob Dyrdek said in the release.

Dude Perfects counts more than 23 million fans and followers, 1 billion online video views and the top sports channel on YouTube. The show will be produced by Dyrdek and Shane Nickerson for Superjacket Productions. Jayson Dinsmore and Matthew Trierweiler executive produce for CMT.

CMT will once again team with Jersey Shore producers 495 Productions to debut in May a new gameshow series Pontoon Payday.

The show takes unsuspecting lake-goers and places them on a “floating game show” boat hosted by comedian Frank Nicotero. Contestants who provide incorrect questions to answers posed on the game show get thrown overboard, according to network officials.

Pontoon Payday will debut May 14 at 10, following the second season premiere of Party Down South 2 (pictured), also produced by 495 Productions. The series follows a strong freshman campaign in which it averaged more than 3 million weekly viewers, according to CMT.

CMT will air its fifth annual Artists of the Year awards, honoring Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert and Keith Urbanon Dec. 2 at 8 p.m.

Live from Nashville, the 90-minute special will recognize the five artists through performances and more, as they are celebrated for their successes over the year.

Michael Dempsey is the executive producer for the show, and John Hamlin and Margaret Comeaux work as executive producers for CMT. 

Keith Urban is the only first-time honoree this year, and Jason Aldean has been awarded since the beginning in 2010.

With sold out concert tours and chart-topping album sales over the past 12 months, the artists are recognized for their wide impact in the music world.

To learn more about the event, click here.

CMT's highest rated series, Party Down South, will return with two new holidays specials, Drunksgiving and Christmas Hangover.

Party Down South: Drunksgiving airs Nov. 20 at 8 p.m., as the popular redneck revelers decide to spend Thanksgiving together, pounding shots and deep-frying turkeys, all while reflecting on their never-ending blessings of marlins, sharks and beerzookas.

Christmas Hangover, following the friends in their many festive adventures, from Christmas tattoos to tacky sweater parties,premieres Dec. 18 at 8 p.m.

Produced by 495 Productions, the executive producers include SallyAnn Salsano, Joel Zimmer and Kyle Simpson.

To learn more about Party Down South, click here.