THE 61st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS AIRS MAY 17, 2026 LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, EXCLUSIVELY ON PRIME VIDEO

The Award Celebration Returns to the Renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena

The Excitement Continues with Additional ACM Awards Week Events to be Announced Early 2026

Nashville, TN - December 1, 2025 - Today, the Academy of Country Music (ACM), Prime Video, and Dick Clark Productions (DCP) announced that the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards will return to the dazzling city of Las Vegas following three successful years in Texas. Taking place from the world-renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena, the award celebration will stream live on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch on Sunday, May 17, 2026, continuing the groundbreaking legacy of the ACM Awards as the first-ever major awards show to livestream exclusively.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to return to MGM Grand for the 61st ACM Awards next May, a place that holds a lot of history and special memories for the Academy. It truly feels like a homecoming for us," said Damon Whiteside, CEO, Academy of Country Music. "There's no better place to host an exciting, global Country Music celebration than fabulous Las Vegas!"

"2026 is going to be a very special year for the ACMs, and partnering with MGM Resorts strengthens our deep commitment to delivering world-class entertainment and experiences for Country Music fans and partners alike," said Jay Penske, CEO, Dick Clark Productions.

The announcement follows 2025's historic 60th anniversary show, which delivered an unforgettable night hosted by Reba McEntire and featured powerhouse performances and appearances from over 40 artists, including Alan Jackson, Backstreet Boys, Brooks & Dunn, Chris Stapleton, Ella Langley, Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, LeAnn Rimes, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Wynonna Judd, and more. The broadcast reached audiences in over 240 countries and territories, solidifying the ACM Awards' place as a global music phenomenon.

Returning to the Sunday night timeslot, the 61st ACM Awards promises to build on the momentum of its milestone year, celebrating the artists, collaborations, and moments that continue to shape Country Music. Additional details will be announced in the coming months. ACM Awards Week will kick off in Las Vegas on Friday, May 15. Tickets for the 61st ACM Awards and surrounding ACM Awards Week events will go on sale early 2026. Follow the Academy of Country Music on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, join the conversation with #ACMawards, and sign up for the FREE ACM A-List to be the first to know the latest news and for exclusive pre-sale opportunities.

Established in 1966, the Academy of Country Music Awards is the longest-running Country Music awards show and made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, in collaboration with Prime Video. Since forming its partnership for the 57th ACM Awards, the show has been hosted by legends Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, and Reba McEntire, featured the biggest collaborations with superstar pairings such as Ed Sheeran and Luke Combs, Dua Lipa and Chris Stapleton, Rascal Flatts and Backstreet Boys, and became the first Country Music awards show to be nominated for an Emmy(R) Award.

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 over the past 60 years into a leading association for the Country Music industry. Headquartered in Nashville, TN 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. 2025 continues to be a landmark year for the Academy, with the success of the 60th ACM Awards, hosted by entertainment icon Reba McEntire, which returned to the Dallas Cowboys' world headquarters in Texas for a third consecutive year and streamed live to a global audience 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 ACM Level Up, a two-year professional development and enrichment curriculum for rising leaders, among other initiatives. For more information, visit ACMcountry.com or ACMLiftingLives.org.

About Dick Clark Productions

Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world's largest owner and producer of televised live event entertainment programming including "The Golden Globes," the largest awards show in the world to celebrate the best of film, television and podcasting, "American Music Awards," "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," the No. 1 entertainment special in America, "Golden Eve," "Academy of Country Music Awards," "Billboard Music Awards," "Rising Stars of Country Music," Emmy(R)-winning series "So You Think You Can Dance," and "American Bandstand," the iconic and groundbreaking cultural phenomenon that defined a generation. Dick Clark Productions also possesses 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. For more information, please visit DickClark.com.

About Prime Video

Prime Video is a first-stop entertainment destination offering customers a vast collection of premium programming in one app available across thousands of devices. On Prime Video, customers can customize their viewing experience and find their favorite movies, series, documentaries, and live sports - including Amazon MGM Studios-produced series and movies Red One, Road House, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Fallout, Reacher, The Boys, Cross, and The Idea of You; licensed fan favorites; 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 Kelce; and programming from partners such as Apple TV+, Max, Crunchyroll and MGM+ via Prime Video add-on subscriptions, 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 via the Prime Video Store and can enjoy even more content for free with ads. 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 MGM Grand Garden Arena

The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also has been home to annual events including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the Latin GRAMMY Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Pac-12 Men's Basketball Championship and Frozen Fury NHL pre-season games hosted by the Los Angeles Kings.

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