CMT'S NEW SERIES "GONE COUNTRY" BECOMES NETWORK'S HIGHEST-RATED SERIES IN HISTORY

NASHVILLE � March 11, 2008 � Over a seven-week period, America watched in record numbers to see which celebrity John Rich would name the winner of CMT's newest series GONE COUNTRY, making it the network's highest-rated series in its history. According to Nielsen Media Research, more than two million total cumulative viewers* tuned in for the series finale on Friday, March 7, with 1.2 million total viewers falling in the key 18-49 demo. GONE COUNTRY has averaged an impressive 769,000 total (P2+) viewers across its seven premieres.

GONE COUNTRY features a unique mix of mainstream celebrities learning the fine art of country crooning by John Rich, of the multi-platinum selling country duo Big & Rich. This seven-episode series takes seven established performers from every realm of the entertainment and music industries, including Bobby Brown, Carnie Wilson, Dee Snider, Diana DeGarmo, Julio Iglesias Jr., Maureen McCormick and Sisq� and immerses them in all things country for a chance to break out as the next big country superstar.

The finale of GONE COUNTRY encores Wednesday, March 12 at 5:00-6:00 p.m., ET/PT. Full episodes can be viewed on demand at CMT.com.