CBS Reportedly 'Balks' At Renewing ACM Awards, While CMA Awards Are Close To A New Deal With Disney/ABC

ACM Awards reportedly seeking a new broadcast home

THE WRAP broke news YESTERDAY (6/15) that CBS, the longtime television home of the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC (ACM) AWARDS, had reportedly “balked” at a reported $22 asking price to air the show next year, “leaving show producer DICK CLARK PRODUCTIONS (DCP) scrambling to negotiate a new deal amid declining ratings.” They are reportedly now negotiating with NBC.

The ACM has not responded to ALL ACCESS’ request for comment, but a spokesperson for DCP parent company MRC told THEWRAP.com, “We are in the customary and expected negotiation period between end of one contract and start of another, this is normal course and happens with all our shows when a deal expires. ACMs broadcast in APRIL on CBS, which was the last year of the existing deal.” The 2022 show has been scheduled for APRIL 24th in LAS VEGAS.

CBS has aired the ACM Awards since 1998. The COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION’s competing CMA Awards have aired on ABC since 2006. The WRAP says the $22M price tag for the ACM show in 2022 is “well above the previous $20 million annual price for a show that has lost almost half of its viewership since 2018.” It also noted that “the ACM Awards, like all award shows during and before the COVID era, has seen its TV viewership plummet in recent years.”

In related news, THE WRAP reports that ABC parent DISNEY “is closing in on a massive $22 million-per-year deal that would keep the COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION Awards on ABC while bringing in its streaming services [HULU and DISNEY+] to support the awards as broadcast ratings decline.” Like the ACMs, the CMAs “have suffered heavy declines in TV viewership, losing fully half of its audience since 2017,” according to the site.

An announcement on the CMA Awards is expected next week.

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