dick clark productions and ABC have announced that the “2016 Billboard Music Awards” will be hosted for the third year in a row by Grammy award winning recording artist Ludacris. He will be joined by first-time host and international recording artist, Ciara. It was also announced that this year’s award show will move to the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The “2016 Billboard Music Awards” will be the first non-Pay-Per-View live broadcast event from the new venue, which officially opened on Wednesday, April 6th. The “2016 Billboard Music Awards” is set to return to ABC and will broadcast live on Sunday, May 22nd at 8 pm ET. This year’s show will showcase big performances, unexpected collaborations and pop culture moments that will have everyone talking.

“The Billboard Music Awards is one of best award shows to honor chart success. My great friend Ludacris and I have also shared songs together on the Billboard chart,” said Ciara. “I look forward to sharing the stage with him on this special night. It will definitely be a night to remember!”

“It is my honor to host the Billboard Music Awards for the third year and a pleasure to host with my good friend Ciara,” said Ludacris. “I’m looking forward to another great show in a new and exciting venue.”

The “2016 Billboard Music Awards” finalists will be announced on Monday, April 11th live on ABC’s Good Morning America during the 8 am ET hour Ludacris and Ciara reveal finalists in six categories. Immediately following the broadcast, five additional categories will be exclusively announced live via Billboard Music Award’s Facebook and Periscope, followed by a live stream on ABC News of the remaining categories.

Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social engagement. These measurements are tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on the reporting period of March 23, 2015 through March 17, 2016. Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of songs and albums, and are the ultimate measure of a musician’s success.

ABC’s three hour telecast of the “2015 Billboard Music Awards” scored an across-the-board victory, ranking No. 1 in its 8-11 p.m. time slot in Total Viewers, all key Adults (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54) and Teens 12-17. Delivering its 3rd-straight year of Total Viewer growth (+5% – 11.2 million vs. 10.7 million) and gaining Adults 18-49 (+9% – 3.8/12 vs. 3.5/10), the “Billboard Music Awards” generated its most watched telecast in 14 years and earned a 12-year high in young adults – since 2001 and 2003, respectively. In addition, the annual show was up for the 3rd year with Teens 12-17 (+3%) to post its highest rating since 2003.

Ludacris & Ciara are tapped to host the 2016 Billboard Music Awards