CMT has announced that sportscaster/TV personality Erin Andrews and football superstar J.J. Watt and will host the โ2016 CMT Music Awards,โ live on Wednesday, June 8th at 8 pm ET/PT from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Best known for his defense on the field with the Houston Texans and for her role as a FOX/Sports broadcaster and host of โDancing with the Stars,โ Watt and Andrews are no strangers to intense competitions. This marks Wattโs first time as host, while Andrewsโ returns for a second consecutive year after keeping the audience laughing and the artists on their toes.
โIโm thrilled to come back to Nashville to co-host the CMT Music Awards,โ said Andrews. โI had so much fun last year, and I canโt wait to see what antics J.J. and I will get into together. Plus, thereโs nothing better than seeing my favorite country artists get recognized for their great work.โ
โHaving presented at the CMT Awards last year, I got a first-hand look at the energy and excitement of the event and I am very excited to be involved in a much larger capacity this year as co-host,โ said Watt. โThere are two things that I know about the people of Nashvilleโฆthey love country music and they know how to throw a party. When you put those two things together, it makes for one heck of a night. I canโt wait to host the awards with Erin and be part of such a great night, honoring the biggest stars in country music.โ-
Also announced, countryโs Cam, who is nominated for three CMT Music awards and is tied for the most nominations, will join pop superstars Fifth Harmony, for a special never-before-heard mash-up of Fifth Harmonyโs current Billboard No. 1 pop song, โWork From Home,โ and Camโs โMayday.โ
CMT is also revealing some of the presenters tapped for the night. They include actors Vince Vaughn and Rob Riggle, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, country artists Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, Cole Swindell, Dan+Shay and Kellie Pickler, as well as actors Joey Lauren Adams and Madison Iseman from the new upcoming CMT series Still The King, which premieres June 12th. More performers and presenters will soon be announced.
CMT revealed the first round of performers last week that include show-stoppers like Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Thomas Rhett. Earlier this month, the network unveiled nominations for the 2016 โCMT Music Awardsโ, which pitted the reigning champion, Carrie Underwood, against powerhouse newcomers, Cam and Chris Stapleton for most nominations and the highly coveted โVideo of the Yearโ win. For the first time, The CMT Music Awards will find out, will country royalty Carrie Underwood be able to defend her throne?
Fan voting is available at CMT.com and continues until Monday, June 6th at 12:01 AM ET. On Wednesday, June 1st, CMT will announce a brand-new surprise awards category. In the coming weeks, CMT will reveal this yearโs host, performers, presenters and more.
Last yearโs โCMT Music Awardsโ once again earned its title as the loudest in country music garnering nearly 17 million cumulative viewers for the premiere and subsequent airings, according to Nielsen. #CMTawards trended worldwide on Twitter from the start of the live telecast and throughout, and the show ranked as the #1 most social telecast of the day with over 18 million impressions according to Nielsen Twitter TV ratings. The awards ranked as the #2 most social non-sports telecast of the week and CMT.com saw double-digit gains for โCMT Music Awardsโ content, with unique visitors up +33% from the prior year.