The Academy of Country Music and producer Dick Clark Productions have sealed a new two-year deal to keep the ACM Awards on Amazon’s Prime Video through its landmark 60th anniversary in 2025. The pact, announced Thursday, continues Prime Video’s relationship with the kudocast, which it began airing in 2022 as one of its first major forays into original live programming and the first major awards show to be streamed.
As part of the announcement, ACM, Dick Clark Prods. and Prime Video announced that the 59th ACM Awards will air in May 2024 from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas (where it was also held in 2023). Additional details will be shared at a later date, including award submissions and voting timeline, hosts, nominees, performers, and ticket on-sale details.
The 2023 ACM Awards, which aired on Prime Video last May (and we hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks), attracted more that 7.7 million viewers, according to the service. The awards show was also available on Amazon Music, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and Amazon Live; that telecast continues to be available on Prime Video, Amazon Freevee, and Amazon Music.
“When Prime Video first streamed the ACM Awards in 2022, we were overwhelmed with the response from our global audience,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios, in a statement. “After seeing last year’s show grow to more than 7.7 million viewers, we could not be more thrilled to continue our relationship with the Academy of Country Music and Dick Clark Productions for the next two years, and especially through the show’s milestone 60th anniversary in 2025. We look forward to continuing the success and bringing even more star-studded and captivating shows to fans around the world.”
Dick Clark Prods. is owned by a joint venture between Penske Media Corp. — the parent company of Variety — and Eldridge Industries.
“The ACM Awards continues its legacy of celebrating the very best of country music, captivating audiences globally,” said Jay Penske, CEO, Chairman and Founder, Penske Media, and CEO of DCP. “We look forward to collaborating with our partners at the Academy of Country Music and Prime Video building together towards the show’s 60th anniversary in 2025.”
ACM CEO Damon Whiteside lauded the success of pairing Parton and Brooks, calling it “the biggest host pairing of all time.”
“The May 2023 show was a groundbreaking success and illustrates that our pioneering and innovative move to streaming was absolutely the right one at the right time,” he said. “We’re eager to see everyone back in Texas once again at the home of the Dallas Cowboys next May for another groundbreaking ACM Awards show.”
The 2023 show featured 18 performances from 25 artists. ACM Entertainer of the Year, was awarded to Chris Stapleton for the first time.