The Country Music Association and ABC Television Network have announced that The 45th Annual CMA Awards will air live Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/EST) on ABC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
“The CMA Awards recognizes the best in the format – that’s what makes this ‘Country Music’s Biggest Night’,” says CMA CEO Steve Moore. “The CMA Awards is one of the most highly anticipated events for our industry each year. It’s a night to honor our finest performers, songwriters, record producers, musicians, and music video directors.”
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA. The eligibility period for the 2011 CMA Awards is July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. All voting for The 45th Annual CMA Awards will be conducted online. The first ballot and instructions will be e-mailed June 27 to CMA members in good standing who are eligible to vote. Voting for the first ballot closes at 5 PM/CT, July 13. The second ballot will be e-mailed to CMA members Aug. 9. Voting for the second ballot closes at 5 PM/CT, Aug. 23. The final nominees in each of the 12 categories will be announced in early September. The third and final ballot will be e-mailed to CMA members Oct. 14. Voting for the CMA Awards final ballot ends at 5 PM/CT, Nov. 1.
The 2010 CMA Awards was the No. 1 entertainment show for the week among the key advertising sales demographic Adults 18-49. The special beat its nearest competition by 5.7 million viewers and by 74 percent in Adults 18-49, according to Nielsen. Held during November Sweeps (Nov. 10), The 44th Annual CMA Awards on ABC dominated the night winning all six of its half-hours. With a primetime sweep, ABC finished No. 1 on Wednesday in viewers across all key demos including Adult, Men, and Women (18-34/18-49/25-54), as well as finishing as the top broadcaster with Teens (12-17) and Kids (2-11). In Total Viewers (17.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.7/13) it was ABC’s strongest Wednesday in 12 months with an estimated 33.8 million viewers watching at least some portion of the three-hour gala.
