CTV and the Country Music Association Partner to Deliver THE 51st ANNUAL CMA AWARDS to Canadians, Airing Nov. 8 on CTV Two

– Multi-award winning country superstars Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood return as hosts for the 10^th year in a row –
– Four on-stage musical collaborations include Kelsea Ballerini and Reba McEntire; Dierks Bentley and Rascal Flatts; Maren Morris and Niall Horan; and Brad Paisley and Kane Brown –
– Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and more announced as individual performers –
– For a complete list of the CMA AWARDS nominations visit CTV.ca/CMA-Awards –
– In conjunction with CMA acquisition, Much launches new one-hour country music block, beginning November 5 –

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/2y3bxUf

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2017 /CNW/ - With four collaborative musical performances announced this morning, CTV has partnered with the Country Music Association to deliver THE 51^st ANNUAL CMA AWARDS to Canadians, airing Wednesday, November 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two. Broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood return as CMA AWARDS hosts for the 10^th year in a row.

Musical collaborations include Kelsea Ballerini and Reba McEntire; Dierks Bentley and Rascal Flatts; Maren Morris and Niall Horan; and Brad Paisley and Kane Brown. Also, slated to perform this year are Garth Brooks, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett, and Underwood. 2017 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee and 16-time CMA Awards winner Alan Jackson will also take center-stage.

**MEDIA NOTE** Download photography of THE 51^st ANNUAL CMA AWARDS at BellMediaPR.ca.

"The CMA AWARDS is undoubtedly country music's most important night, making it the perfect complement to CTV's dynamic must-see awards lineup," said Mike Cosentino, President, Content and Programming, Bell Media. "Adding the CMA Awards to our awards portfolio provides us another opportunity to give viewers yet another world-class live event, while showcasing country music to Canadians from across the country."

In conjunction with the acquisition of THE 51^st ANNUAL CMA AWARDS, Much launches a new one-hour country music block on Sundays at 11a.m. ET beginning November 5, featuring new country hits and classic fan favourites. The programming block will include hits from chart-topping artists including Dallas Smith, Florida Georgia Line, Jess Moskaluke, Sam Hunt, and many more.

Miranda Lambert tops this year's CMA AWARDS nominees with five nominations including the Single and Song of the Year categories for "Tin Man", along with Album of the Year for The Weight of These Wings and Music Video of the Year for "Vice". Lambert has also secured her 11^th nomination for Female Vocalist, a category she's won a record-setting six consecutive times. Lambert is the most awarded female in CMA Awards history with 12 trophies.

Little Big Town and Keith Urban are tied as the second most nominated with four nominations each. Little Big Town's nominations include Album of the Year for The Breaker and Vocal Group of the Year. Urban's nominations include Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist. Taylor Swift also received her 23^rd nomination for writing "Better Man", performed by Little Big Town.

Home to the biggest live events and awards shows in Canada, CTV celebrates the best in television, film, theatre, and music. THE 51^st ANNUAL CMA AWARDS, joins THE 90^th ACADEMY AWARDS^®, THE 75^th ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE^® AWARDS, THE 70^th PRIMETIME EMMY^® AWARDS, THE 2017 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS, THE TONYS^®, THE 2018 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS, and THE 2018 iHEARTRADIO MUCH MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS to CTV's slate of awards show broadcasts.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
@CountryMusic
@CarrieUnderwood
@BradPaisley

Facebook:
Facebook.com/CTV
Facebook.com/cma
Facebook.com/CarrieUnderwood
Facebook.com/BradPaisley

Instagram:
@BellMediaPR
@CMA
@CarrieUnderwood
@BradPaisley

About THE 51^st ANNUAL CMA AWARDS
The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast for the first time – making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The Awards have aired on ABC since 2006. ABC is the network home of the CMA Awards and CMA's other two television properties, "CMA Fest" and "CMA Country Christmas," through 2021. The CMA Awards air in 43 countries.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 16 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

– CTV –

SOURCE CTV Two

Jessica Charbonneau, CTV Networks, 416.384.2194 or [email protected]; Eleni Tenuta, CTV Networks, 416.384.3530 or [email protected]