Nashville, TN – The 17th Academy of Country Music Honors will air Tuesday, September 24 (9-11 PM ET/PT) on Dr. Phil’s Merit Street, marking the first time the special will air on the network as part of a larger partnership between Merit Street Media and the Academy of Country Music.
In addition to ACM Honors this year, the Academy and Merit Street plan to explore programming development opportunities around country music performances, behind-the-scenes and lifestyle moments, documentaries, and other content.
ACM Honors, dubbed the “Country Music industry’s favorite night,” will recognize several special honorees, including ACM Lifting Lives Award recipient Luke Bryan, ACM Poet’s Award recipient Alan Jackson, ACM Triple Crown recipient Lainey Wilson, ACM Icon Award recipient Trisha Yearwood, and more.
Four-time ACM Award winner Carly Pearce and reigning ACM Song of the Year winner Jordan Davis will host the ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville which will feature performances from seven-time ACM Award winner Eric Church, nine-time ACM Award winner Vince Gill, two-time ACM Award winner Emmylou Harris, eleven-time ACM Award winner Tyler Hubbard, three-time ACM Award winner Jamey Johnson, three-time ACM Award winner Ashley McBryde, and 15-time ACM Award winner and 2018 Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban. Additional performers, presenters, and event details will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We’re excited to partner with Merit Street Media to bring one of my favorite nights of the year, ACM Honors, to households across North America through this growing network,” said Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. “With so many great performances honoring some of Country Music’s biggest stars, we can’t wait for fans to tune in to this event on Merit Street, and in the months ahead, we plan to bring even more content focused on Country Music to the Merit Street viewers.”
“For our first step into music programming, we can’t imagine a better marriage than Merit Street with ACM,” said Merit’s EVP/COO, Joel Cheatwood. “To kick this off with such an amazing celebration as ACM Honors is exactly what we aspired to deliver to viewers, and we look forward to creating additional original country music content for fans everywhere.”
To view Merit Street, audiences can access the prominently featured channel-finder link by entering zip codes at www.meritstreetmedia.com. Merit Street is found on DirecTV, Dish, U-Verse, Samsung TV Plus and additional broadcast, basic cable, national satellites, and FAST channels, as well as the free streaming app, Merit+, available to download via iPhone & Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, and Roku.
Limited tickets for ACM Honors are currently available through AXS, Including VIP packages which include a ticket in the VIP Artist section of the Ryman (first seven rows), a ticket to the VIP pre-party reception with complimentary beverages and light hors d’oeuvres, a commemorative Hatch Show Print poster, parking, and drink tickets.
Additionally, previously announced Artist-Songwriter of the Year winner Chris Stapleton, Songwriter of the year Jessie Jo Dillon, as well as Studio Recording Award and Industry Award winners, will be feted at ACM HONORS.
In addition to performing on the show, Tyler Hubbard will present the ACM Studio Recording and Industry Awards portion of ACM Honors. Examples of categories from Studio Recording and Industry Awards include Audio Engineer of the Year, Bass Player of the Year, Casino of the Year, Drummer of the Year, Electric Guitar Player of the Year, Fair/Rodeo of the Year, Piano/Keyboards Player of the Year, Producer of the Year, Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year, and Theater of the Year.
For more information on ACM Industry Awards, visit here, and for more information on ACM Studio Recording Awards, visit here.
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