Why Country Music Fans Can’t Watch the ACM Awards on TV Next Year

The Academy of County Music (ACM) Awards is on the move. In late August, Bloomberg reported that the ACM Awards will be heading to Amazon, as the company obtained the rights to exclusively stream the ceremony in 2022. This change will mark the first time that a major awards show will be exclusively live-streamed

This change will go into effect for the 2022 ceremony. Amazon and the Academy of Country Music shared that they would reveal the date and location for the show at a later date. The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is part of the MRC media group, each year. You’ll recall that the ACM Awards previously aired on CBS (the 56th ACM Awards aired this past April). In June, CBS announced that they would not be airing the ACM Awards. Instead, the network will air the competing CMT Awards for the first time in April 2022.

Variety shed some light on why the ACM Awards is heading to another service. Back in July, the outlet reported that CBS was in talks to air the ceremony this year. However, those talks fell through after Dick Clark Productions offered $22 million for the rights to air the ceremony. Those from both the Academy of Country Music and Amazon voiced their excitement over the new move for the ACM Awards.

Vernon Sanders, the co-head of television for Amazon Studios issued a statement in which they expressed that they’re thrilled to add more content for their customers. “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,” Sanders stated. “Reaching this milestone with our partners at the Academy of Country Music and MRC as the first major awards show to be livestreamed speaks to our dedication and commitment to continue to both entertain and innovate for our audience.”

Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music, shared a similar sentiment, saying, “We are thrilled that the Academy of Country Music Awards are first to take this giant step toward the future of awards shows with Amazon Prime Video. 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.”