DATE SET FOR MILESTONE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS TAKING PLACE ON MAY 8, 2025 FROM FORD CENTER AT THE STAR - WORLD HEADQUARTERS OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS IN FRISCO, TEXAS

Entertainment Icon Reba McEntire Returns to Host the Milestone Celebration, Airing Exclusively on Prime Video

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - July 16, 2024 - Today, Prime Video, the Academy of Country Music (ACM), and Dick Clark Productions announced that the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards, the longest-running country music awards show, is set to take place on Thursday, May 8, 2025, from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. As previously announced, 16-time ACM Award-winning entertainment icon, Reba McEntire, will return to host the monumental 60th anniversary, marking her 18th time at the helm, the most of any artist in Academy of Country Music history. Additional details, including award submissions and voting timeline, nominees, performers, ticket sale details, and additional ACM Awards week events, will be confirmed in the months ahead.

"We're excited to honor and celebrate the legacy of the ACM Awards all year long surrounding the 60th anniversary show returning to Amazon Prime Video next May," said Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside. "Reba McEntire has hosted more ACM Awards shows than any other artist in history, and after her triumphant return this year for the 59th show, there is clearly no one better suited to helm this milestone show! Our landmark 50th anniversary show in 2015 marked our debut in Texas, and we're thrilled to return again to celebrate another major moment in ACM history. We look forward to seeing our industry, artists, and fans celebrate in Frisco, Texas next May for an unforgettable week!"

"I'm thrilled to be coming back to host the 60th ACM Awards on Prime Video," said Reba McEntire. "It's going to be an absolute can't miss show and I can't wait to see everybody back in Texas!"

The 59th ACM Awards streamed live for an international audience across 240+ countries and territories exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. "Country Music's Party of the Year" delivered exhilarating performances and collaborations by a star-studded roster of artists including Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Post Malone, Parker McCollum, Thomas Rhett, and Lainey Wilson, as well as featuring brand new music from host, Reba McEntire. Additionally, audiences worldwide witnessed show stopping duets from Chris Stapleton and surprise guest Dua Lipa; Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan; Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani; and Nate Smith featuring Avril Lavigne. The Academy's highest honor, Entertainer of the Year, was awarded to Lainey Wilson, earning her the coveted ACM Triple Crown trophy in only three years. Chris Stapleton led the night in total wins with four awards, followed by Lainey Wilson with three wins, and Luke Combs and Jordan Davis with two wins each.

Following the 59th ACM Awards on May 16, Georgia native Kane Brown's soulful rendition of Ray Charles' classic "Georgia on My Mind," which Charles performed on the ACM Awards stage 40 years ago, saw a 410% increase in U.S. On-Demand streams after being released to coincide with the 59th ACM Awards. That increase happened between May 16 to May 17, spurred by his performance of the song on the show, according to data from Luminate. Lainey Wilson's heart-pumping, adrenaline-fueled performance of "God Blessed Texas" and "Hang Tight Honey" drove U.S. On-Demand streams up 330%, while Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's new single "Purple Irises" saw a 78% increase.

*Note: The 59th ACM Awards took place on 5/16/24. The percent change was measured from 5/15 to 5/17, except for the Kane Brown song, which was measured between 5/16 to 5/17. [source: Luminate]

The 60th ACM Awards will broadcast live from Texas for the consecutive third year. Ford Center at The Star in Frisco opened in 2016 and serves as the state-of-the-art practice facility for the Dallas Cowboys, as well as the home for many major sporting events throughout the year. The 2023 ACM Awards were the first awards show to take place at Ford Center.

In 2022, the Emmy-nominated ACM Awards made history as the first major awards show to exclusively stream live for a global audience and deliver an unforgettable concert event that put fans center stage across Prime Video, Amazon Music, Amazon Fashion, Amazon Freevee, Amazon Live, and more. The 2024 ACM Awards is available on demand on Prime Video, Amazon Freevee, and Amazon Music.

About the Academy of Country Music  

Founded in Southern California in 1964 as a regional trade organization, the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC (ACM) has grown to become a leading association for the Country Music industry over the last 60 years. Now headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., and boasting record-high membership of more than 5,000 worldwide, the Academy serves as a powerhouse advocate for Country fans, artists, and all facets of the business, as well as a supporter of philanthropic work through charitable partner ACM LIFTING LIVES, dedicated to improving lives through the power of music and providing aid in times of need, with a focus on health initiatives. 2024 has been another monumental year for the Academy, with the 59th ACM Awards, hosted by entertainment icon Reba McEntire, broadcast live from Texas for a second consecutive year on Prime Video. The Academy also remains relentlessly committed to creating a more inclusive environment for underrepresented groups in Country Music, from the boardroom to the stage, and proudly presents both ACM LEVel Up, a two-year professional development and enrichment curriculum for rising leaders, and OnRamp, a guaranteed income program for Black members of the Nashville music community, in partnership with the Black Music Action Coalition. For more information, visit ACMcountry.com or ACMLiftingLives.org. 

About Dick Clark Productions

Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world's largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming including the "Academy of Country Music Awards," "American Music Awards," "Billboard Music Awards," "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," "Golden Globe Awards," "So You Think You Can Dance," from 19 Entertainment and DCP, and "Streamy Awards." Dick Clark Productions owns one of the world's most extensive and unique entertainment archive libraries with more than 60 years of award-winning shows, historic specials, performances, and legendary programming. Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Corporation, in a subsidiary joint venture between Penske Media and Eldridge. For more information, please visit www.DickClark.com.

About Prime Video

Prime Video is a one-stop entertainment destination offering customers a vast collection of premium programming in one application available across thousands of devices. On Prime Video, customers can find their favorite movies, series, documentaries, and live sports - including Amazon MGM Studios-produced series and movies Road House, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Fallout, Reacher, The Boys, and The Idea of You; licensed fan favorites American Fiction and The Boys in the Boat; Prime member exclusive access to coverage of live sports including Thursday Night Football, WNBA, and NWSL, and acclaimed sports documentaries including Bye Bye Barry and Federer; and programming from Prime Video add-on subscriptions such as Max, Crunchyroll and MGM+, as well as more than 500 free ad-supported (FAST) Channels. Prime members in the U.S. can share a variety of benefits, including Prime Video, by using Amazon Household. Prime Video is one benefit among many that provides savings, convenience, and entertainment as part of the Prime membership. All customers, regardless of whether they have a Prime membership or not, can rent or buy titles, including blockbusters such as Challengers and The Fall Guy, via the Prime Video Store, and can enjoy content such as Jury Duty and Bosch: Legacy free with ads on Freevee. Customers can also go behind the scenes of their favorite movies and series with exclusive X-Ray access. For more info visit www.amazon.com/primevideo.

About The Star

The Star is the 91-acre campus of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and training facility in Frisco, Texas. Developed as a first-of-its-kind partnership between the City of Frisco, Frisco ISD and the Dallas Cowboys, The Star features Ford Center, a 12,000-seat stadium that hosts Frisco ISD football games, concerts and other events; Cowboys Fit, a 60,000 square-foot gym developed in partnership with leading fitness developer, Mark Mastrov; Cowboys Club, a members-only club where the country club meets the NFL; the Omni Frisco Hotel, a 16-floor, 300-room luxury hotel; Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at The Star, a 300,000 square-foot center of excellence for sports medicine; Twelve Cowboys Way, a 17-story, luxury residential tower in partnership between Pro Football Hall-of-Fame Quarterback #12 Roger Staubach, and Dallas-based developer and former Dallas Cowboys center, Robert Shaw; Formation, a dynamic coworking experience offering a collaborative work environment of open workspace, dedicated desks and private offices; as well as a variety of shopping, dining and nightlife options throughout The Star District. For more information on The Star, visit www.TheStarInFrisco.com.

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