CMT TO COUNT DOWN COUNTRY ARTISTS' BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCES ACROSS ALL GENRES IN "ALL-TIME TOP 40: ARTIST'S CHOICE" MARATHON BEGINNING SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27 AT 9 A.M., ET/PT

Country Stars Vote Merle Haggard as Most Influential Music Artist

NASHVILLE - December 15, 2014 - This past year on CMT, country artists have been recognizing the most influential music across all genres that has helped shaped their lives in CMT ALL-TIME TOP 40: ARTIST'S CHOICE. Now, CMT will start at the beginning of the list and count down the selected top 40 artists in a five-hour marathon kicking-off Saturday, December 27 at 9:00 a.m., ET/PT.

CMT's ALL-TIME TOP 40: ARTIST'S CHOICE began its countdown this past March, with weekly segments airing in CMT HOT 20 COUNTDOWN. A few weeks ago the highly-anticipated No. 1 spot was revealed on HOT 20 as recent CMT "Artists of a Lifetime" recipient, Merle Haggard. Each influential musician or band on the list was ranked based on an artist poll conducted by CMT among the biggest stars in country music. Other notable artists who made the list include Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and more. Over 100 country artists participated in CMT ALL-TIME TOP 40, from legends including Haggard, Dolly Parton and George Strait, to today's superstars like Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean.

ALL-TIME TOP 40: ARTIST'S CHOICE is executive produced by Quinn Brown. For more information visit CMT.com, download the CMT app, like the CMT's official Facebook page, follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT, CMT.com and CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT App, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.