ACM Awards To Be Broadcast Live In Australia For First Time

49th Academy of Country Music Awards trip winners are congratulated backstage
at CMC Rocks the Hunter Festival. Photo (L-R): Tim Daley, CMC Group Program Manager; Glenn Tyrell (winner); Toby Keith; Bridgette Tyrell (winner); and Bob Romeo, ACM CEO. Photo: courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

The 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will broadcast live for the first time in Australia on Monday, April 7, 2014 at 10 a.m. AEST on Foxtel’s Country Music Channel (CMC). It will air again in primetime at 8 p.m. AEST (Sunday, April 6, live ET/ delayed PT on the CBS Television Network in the US).

The ceremony will be co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, produced by dick clark productions and broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The announcement was made at Australia’s CMC Rocks The Hunter Festival by ACM CEO Bob Romeo and Great American Country host Storme Warren. Festival headliner Toby Keith congratulated two music fans that were selected from the audience as winners of a trip to the 49th Annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas on April 6.

Fan voting will be open in Australia for the Entertainer of the Year award, and the ACM New Artist of the Year award. Country fans will be able to cast votes at voteacm.com. Nominees for the Entertainer of the Year honor include Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, George Strait, and Taylor Swift. Nominees for ACM New Artist of the Year include Brett Eldredge, Justin Moore and Kip Moore. Fan voting will begin Monday, March 24 (United States & Canada), and Tuesday, March 25 (Australia).

New Artist of the Year voting will close at 10 a.m. AEST on Monday, April 7 (before the live show starts in Australia), and Entertainer of the Year voting will close during the third hour of the live broadcast. Text voting for Entertainer of the Year is available to fans in the United States only.

“Country music has extended to a worldwide fan base, largely due in part to the loyal fans in Australia,” said Romeo. “We are excited to partner with Foxtel on this opportunity to share the experience of watching the ACM Awards live with the Australian television viewers.”

Shaun James, General Manager Foxtel Networks Music Channels, said, “Foxtel is proud to be bringing the ACM Awards to Australian audiences for the very first time. As shown by the success of the CMC Rocks the Hunter festival, Country music resonates strongly with people all around the nation and to be able to offer Australian fans the opportunity to engage with these prestigious Awards is terrific.”

This marks the first year the ACM Awards will broadcast in Australia. The ACM Awards have been broadcast live in Canada since 1997, and will air live on CTV Canada this year.