The Academy of Country Music announced last week that it is moving its ACM Awards to Amazon Prime Video next year. The show aired on one of the three legacy broadcast networks continuously for 50 years.
The move will likely be closely watched by the entire industry. If the show holds its audience, and if top artists continue to support it, other awards shows may seriously consider streaming partners. If the show falters, other shows may be reticent about following suit.
Amazon Prime Video will be the ACM Awards’ fourth broadcast partner, which is more than any other major music awards show. Let’s see how the other shows compare:
4 broadcast partners:
ACM Awards: The show aired on ABC from 1972-78, on NBC from 1979-97, and on CBS from 1998-2021. It is moving to Amazon Prime Video next year.
3 broadcast partners:
CMA Awards: The show aired on NBC from 1968-71, on CBS from 1972-2005, and has aired on ABC since 2006.
Billboard Music Awards: The show aired on Fox from 1990-2006 and, following a brief hiatus, aired on ABC from 2011-17 and has aired on NBC since 2018.
2 broadcast partners:
Grammy Awards: The show aired on ABC in 1971-72 and has aired on CBS continuously since 1973. Prior to the 1971 inception of the live Grammy telecast, NBC aired a series of Grammy-branded music/variety specials dubbed The Best on Record.
Latin Grammy Awards: The show aired on CBS from 2000-04 and has aired on Univision since 2005.
CMT Music Awards: The show aired on CMT exclusively from 2002-21. (The show was known as the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards for the first three years.) The show is set move to CBS next year.
Soul Train Music Awards: The show aired on WGN America (and in first-run syndication) from 1987-2007 and has aired on BET since 2009.
1 broadcast partner:
American Music Awards: The show, created by Dick Clark, has aired on ABC continuously since 1974. That’s longer than the network’s association with the Oscars, which moved to ABC in 1976.
MTV Video Music Awards: The show has aired on MTV continuously since 1984.
BET Awards: The show has aired on BET continuously since 2001.
BET Hip-Hop Awards: The show has aired on BET continuously since 2006.
