EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT THE 61ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

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Hosted by Shania Twain, the 61st ACM Awards will be free to stream live exclusively on Prime Video and Amazon Music
on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT from the world-renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with no Prime membership required.

Hosted by Shania Twain, the 61st ACM Awards will stream live exclusively for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories on Prime Video on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. from the world-renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  • HOST: Legendary songwriter and best-selling female country artist Shania Twain will host the 61st ACM Awards for the first time.
  • PERFORMERS: Blake Shelton, Carter Faith, Cody Johnson, Dan + Shay, Ella Langley, Jordan Davis, Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, The Red Clay Strays, Thomas Rhett, and Zach Top, along with Avery Anna, ACM New Female Artist of the Year, and Tucker Wetmore, ACM New Male Artist of the Year.
  • NOMINEES: Female artists lead with the most nominations, including Megan Moroney (nine), Miranda Lambert (eight), Ella Langley (seven), and Lainey Wilson (seven), followed by Chris Stapleton (six), Zach Top (five), and Cody Johnson (four). View the full list of this year’s nominees [HERE].
  • PRESENTERS: View the full list of this year’s presenters [HERE].

How to Watch

A Prime membership will not be required to watch live. Fans can stream the ACM Awards live on a mobile device, tablet, TV, or smart device. Following the livestream, the full rebroadcast will be available to watch on Prime Video starting Monday, May 18, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

Official Amazon Music Red Carpet Pre-Show

Amazon Music will exclusively broadcast the official Red-Carpet livestream for the ACMs on the Amazon Music app. Hosted by Country Heat Weekly podcast co-hosts Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson, the livestream will feature live, in-depth interviews with country’s biggest stars. The broadcast will begin at 3:30 p.m. PT / 6:30 p.m. ET, live from the show’s red carpet.

Leading up to the big night, the Academy of Country Music will take over Las Vegas with previously announced ACM Awards week events including the “Whiskey Jam Welcome Party” at Ole Red Las Vegas on Thursday, May 14 with Caroline Jones, Jenna Paulette, and The Band Perry; “ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green & Friends” at Topgolf Las Vegas on Friday, May 15 with Avery Anna, Lauren Alaina, Randy Houser, and Rodney Atkins, alongside headliner Riley Green; and “ACM Next Wave: Country’s Beach Bash” at Mandalay Bay Beach on Saturday, May 16, headlined by Keith Urban, with more performances by Ashley Cooke, Braxton Keith, Dasha, Flatland Cavalry, Tucker Wetmore, and more.

Returning to the Sunday night timeslot, the Emmy-nominated, star-powered experience will feature unprecedented performances, exclusive collaborations, and unexpected moments from the biggest Country Music stars, all while celebrating the genre’s most iconic and emerging talent.

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. The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions (DCP). Raj Kapoor and Patrick Menton are executive producers, with Kapoor also serving as showrunner. Damon Whiteside serves as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music, and Jay Penske and Barry Adelman serve as executive producers for DCP. John Saade will also continue to serve as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.