American Music Awards Returns to CBS and Paramount+ Under Major New Partnership

The American Music Awards are coming back to CBS.

After making its debut on the Eye network in May, the annual music awards show will return to CBS and Paramount+ in 2026 under a new deal.

Produced by Dick Clark Productions, the AMAs celebrate outstanding achievements in the music industry. It premiered in 1974, airing on ABC through 2022. It then went on hiatus after ABC’s rights to broadcast the ceremony expired. In March 2024, CBS was announced as the new home as part of a deal with its rights to broadcast the now DCP-owned Golden Globe Awards. After a two-year hiatus, the AMAs returned last May, hosted by Jennifer Lopez.

CBS has now struck a deal with Dick Clark Productions to broadcast the AMAs on CBS and Paramount+, starting with the May 2026 broadcast, which will take place live in Las Vegas. The new deal is not so surprising. The 2025 AMAs, which aired on Memorial Day for the first time, drew in over 10 million viewers across the premiere on CBS and encores on MTV, CMT, and BET. Additionally, the 2025 broadcast marked the show’s largest audience since 2019, with a 38% increase over its last live airing in 2022.

This year’s American Music Awards featured performances from ICON Award recipient Janet Jackson, Alex Warren, Becky G and Manuel Turizo, Benson Boone, Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Lainey Wilson, Reneé Rapp, and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Rod Stewart, as well as host Jennifer Lopez. The show also paid tribute to U.S. troops and veterans throughout the broadcast, which was taped live at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

Additional information surrounding the 2026 American Music Awards, including the host, performers, nominees, and presenters, has not been announced. That likely won’t be until closer to the show, which will air in May, but fans will be happy to know that the AMAs will be returning to CBS and Paramount+.

Meanwhile, CBS is also the home of the Grammys until 2026, the Tony Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, CMT Music Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. Starting in 2027, ABC will be the new home of the Grammys following a new 10-year deal between the Recording Academy and the Walt Disney Company. CBS was the home of the Grammy Awards for over 50 years, and 2026 will be the final year that it will be airing on the Eye network.