Amazon to stream Academy of Country Music Awards in 2022

By KRISTIN M. HALL
AP Entertainment Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Academy of Country Music Awards is making the streaming switch, moving from a TV network to Amazon Prime Video and marking the first time the streaming service will exclusively air an awards show.

In the announcement on Thursday, the ACMs move from CBS, which previously announced that it would be airing the Country Music Television awards show next year. A date and location will be announced later, but the show has been traditionally held in Las Vegas, although the pandemic moved the show’s production to Nashville, Tennessee.

The West Coast-based Academy of Country Music has held an awards show since 1966. Meanwhile, Amazon has gotten more into live TV programming with the announcement of their deal to air NFL’s “Thursday Night Football.”

“We’re excited to continue to expand our content offerings for Prime Video customers by being the exclusive home for the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2022 and honoring the best in country music,” said Vernon Sanders, co-head of television at Amazon Studios, in a statement.

“This partnership, which reinforces our position as an innovative, progressive awards show, will deliver the broadest possible audience and, simultaneously, deliver massive value to our artists whose music lives inside this ecosystem, enabling fans to discover and stream music as they watch,” Damon Whiteside, CEO of the ACM, said in a statement.