ACM Awards
The ACM Awards will return to Prime Video next year.
The Academy of Country Music and ACM Awards producer Dick Clark Productions (DCP) has struck a deal with Prime Video for the return of the show on the service for the next three years, which will take it through its 63rd ceremony in 2028.
The news follows the ACM Awards’ 60th anniversary show, which streamed live on Amazon’s Prime Video on May 8 from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. The show also streamed live for an international audience across more than 240 countries and territories, exclusively on Prime Video and Amazon Music’s channel on Twitch.
During this year’s ceremony, Lainey Wilson took home the night’s top honor of entertainer of the year (marking her second consecutive win in the category), as well as female artist of the year, songwriter-artist of the year and album of the year (for Whirlwind). Ella Langley earned the most trophies of the evening with five wins, followed by Wilson with four wins. Alan Jackson was the recipient of the inaugural ACM Lifetime Achievement Award, while Keith Urban was honored with the ACM Triple Crown Award.
“Our ongoing partnership with the Academy of Country Music and Dick Clark Productions has been an amazing experience for everyone involved,” said Vernon Sanders, global head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, in a statement. “With the tremendous success of this year’s 60th anniversary show hosted by the legendary Reba McEntire, we are overjoyed to continue our relationship with the Academy and DCP for the next three years. We look forward to maintaining this success and bringing even more star-studded and captivating shows to our global Prime Video customers.”
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“Our powerful partnership with Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video has expanded the reach and accessibility of our show and the country music genre to viewers anytime, anywhere around the world and has redefined what an awards show experience can and should be in today’s environment,” said Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music, in a statement. “The synergies between Prime Video, Amazon Music, Twitch, and the other divisions of Amazon bring exponential value to our artists, our genre, and our fans through an immersive 360 music experience they can’t get from any other platform. I am so proud of our pioneering first four years in the streaming space, and we are excited to continue to deliver the future of country music and the ACM Awards to fans everywhere over the next three years.”
“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Prime Video through 2028,” added Jay Penske, CEO of Dick Clark Productions. “The Academy of Country Music Awards made history in 2022 as the first major awards show to exclusively livestream and continues to break new ground, creating a world-class music event and providing dynamic, unparalleled reach through Prime Video, connecting country music with a global audience.”
“I feel like it’s just another way for us to get country music out there to the world,” added the Academy of Country Music’s winningest artist of all time, Miranda Lambert, of the partnership between the ACM Awards and Prime Video. “Country music is really popular right now, and I’m so glad more people are understanding what we’re about, and I’m so happy to be part of the ACM history, and that it’s gonna continue for three more years is really exciting.”
The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards was produced by DCP, with Raj Kapoor serving as executive producer and showrunner and Patrick Menton serving as co-executive producer. Whiteside served as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music, while Penske and Barry Adelman served as executive producers for DCP, with John Saade working as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
“This voice is courtesy of Blake Shelton last night,” said a hoarse Jon Loba, president of recorded music at BMG North America, while on stage at BMG’s annual ACM kick-off brunch at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas on Thursday, May 8.And while he spent the night before celebrating Shelton’s 30th No. 1 country radio single, “Texas” – and his first No. 1 hit with BMG, after signing with BMG/BBR Music last September – Loba noted the week was full of celebratory moments for the label, with the Jelly Roll & Friends benefit concert on Tuesday, May 6 and Lainey Wilson performing at the ACM Lifting Lives gala honoring Brooks & Dunn on Wednesday evening.
But, said Loba, the brunch wouldn’t be about celebrating past accomplishments. “Everyone keeps asking what’s next?” he shared. “So, we decided this brunch would be about what’s next for the BBR Music Group…We continue to be in a growth mode.”
After a tip of the hat to new music coming from Dustin Lynch, who Loba called “a bedrock of our label,” second only to Jason Aldean who has been with the company from the beginning—the two-hour brunch at the Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas, demonstrated exactly that, as a handful of rising stars were spotlighted.
Drew Baldridge, whose current hit “Tough People” is No. 15 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, then took the stage to perform a new song, “Rebel,” also sharing that in just three more weeks, he will be getting his first tour bus: “I’ve been in a van for 12 years… with seven dudes,” he said with a laugh. And following a brief presentation on Alexandra Kay, who is currently touring Europe after opening for Jelly Roll last year, former American Idol contestant Colin Stough spoke about what’s next for him. “I’ve actually never been inside a country club,” he said with a laugh, scanning the packed room. He then debuted “White Trash,” a song inspired by his difficult relationship with his father.
Up next was Lanie Gardner, who performed a new track, “The Hills Have Eyes,” followed by her hit “Cry.” And before she stepped off stage, she had the surprise of a lifetime: an invitation from the Opry to make her Grand Ole Opry debut this year. And after a brief cry, she of course said, “yes.” John Morgan, who’s duet with Jason Aldean “Friends Like That” became his first Country Airplay Top 10, performed next, unveiling new music from his forthcoming album. That included a song he co-wrote with Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard based on an idea he’d been kicking around for well over a year.
And lastly, to close the brunch, Frank Ray delivered a high-energy set that included his latest track, the Latin-influenced “Miami in Tennessee,” which Loba was proudly singing along to while sitting to the side of the stage.
Frank Ray
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Frank Ray at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
JoJamie Hahr, Camille Kenny & Kerri Edwards
Image Credit: Rich Polk
BMG’s JoJamie Hahr and Camille Kenny with Artist Manager Kerri Edwards at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Lanie Gardner
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Lanie Gardner at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
JoJamie Hahr, Chayce Beckham & Jon Loba
Image Credit: Rich Polk
JoJamie Hahr, Chayce Beckham and Jon Loba at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Drew Baldridge
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Drew Baldridge at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Katie Kerkhover, JoJamie Hahr, Colin Stough, Drew Baldridge, Lanie Gardner, Jon Loba, Frank Ray, John Morgan, Chayce Beckham & Peter Strickland
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Katie Kerkhover, JoJamie Hahr, Colin Stough, Drew Baldridge, Lanie Gardner, Jon Loba, Frank Ray, John Morgan, Chayce Beckham and Peter Strickland at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Frank Ray and Jon Loba
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Frank Ray and Jon Loba at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Lee Adams
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Lee Adams at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Frank Ray, Katie Kerkhover, Lanie Gardner, Jon Loba, Chayce Beckham & John Morgan
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Frank Ray, Katie Kerkhover, Lanie Gardner, Jon Loba, Chayce Beckham and John Morgan at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Lexie Lampkin, Jordan Pettit, Lanie Gardner, Jenn Tressler & Samantha Kane
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Lexie Lampkin, Jordan Pettit, Lanie Gardner, Jenn Tressler and Samantha Kane at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Ken Tucker
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Ken Tucker at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Jon Loba, Shelley Hargis & Joey Tack
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Jon Loba, Shelley Hargis and WIVK’s Joey Tack at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Adrian Michaels, Drew Baldridge, Lanie Gardner & Frank Ray
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Adrian Michaels, Drew Baldridge, Lanie Gardner and Frank Ray at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Colin Stough
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Colin Stough at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Jon Loba, Frank Ray & Oscar Chavira
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Jon Loba, Frank Ray and Ray’s Manager Oscar Chavira at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Shawn McSpadden
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Artist Manager Shawn McSpadden at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
John Morgan, Brent Lane, Frank Ray & Shelley Hargis
Image Credit: Rich Polk
John Morgan, Cat Country 98.7’s Brent Lane, Frank Ray and Shelley Hargis at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
Frank Ray & Katie Kerkhover
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Frank Ray and Katie Kerkhover at BBR Music Group Brunch at 2025 ACM Awards at Stonebriar Country Club on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
The Academy of Country Music Awards celebrated a major milestone with this year’s ceremony, commemorating 60 years of feting many of the top performers and artists in country music. Held Thursday night (May 8) and livestreamed on Amazon Prime Video, the ACM Awards featured performances that highlighted six decades of enduring hits, as well as […]
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Even before the ACM Awards got underway Thursday (May 8), winners had been announced in six categories. And in one of those categories, the voters delivered a big surprise. Country traditionalist Zach Top took the award for new male artist of the year, beating Shaboozey, whose “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” had spent 19 weeks at […]
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Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley were the big winners at the 2025 ACM Awards, which were held on Thursday (May 8) at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Wilson won four awards, including entertainer of the year and album of the year. Langley won five, including four for “you look like you love me,” her flirty duet with Riley Green.
Wilson won entertainer of the year for the second year in a row. She’s the first person to win back-to-back awards in that top category since Jason Aldean scored a threepeat from 2016-18. She’s the first woman to win back-to-back awards for entertainer of the year since Taylor Swift achieved the feat in 2009-10.
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Wilson also won album of the year for Whirlwind. She had also won for her previous studio album, Bell Bottom Country. She’s the seventh artist in ACM history to win for back-to-back studio albums (whether they won the awards in consecutive years or not). Miranda Lambert won with five consecutive studio albums. Chris Stapleton won with two consecutive studio albums – and he did that twice. Winning with two consecutive studio albums once were Alabama, Alan Jackson, George Strait and The Chicks.
Wilson won female artist of the year for the third year in a row. She’s the first artist to achieve that feat since Lambert won nine years in a row from 2010-18. Wilson’s fourth award was for artist-songwriter of the year.
Langley and Green won in three categories for their hit “you look like you love me.” The duet won single of the year, music event of the year and visual media of the year. (Langley won two awards in the visual media category, as both artist and one of the directors.) Oddly, they didn’t perform the song on the show, perhaps because they performed it on the CMA Awards in November. Langley’s fifth award on the night was new female artist of the year.
Hosted by Reba McEntire, the ACM Awards streamed live on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
Here are other acts that made history at the ACM Awards:
Old Dominion won group of the year for the eighth year in a row, which allowed them to break out of a tie with Rascal Flatts for the most wins in the history of that category. By coincidence, Rascal Flatts was among the nominees this year. Old Dominion’s eight-year winning streak is the longest in any category since Lambert won female artist of the year nine years in a row from 2010-18.
Brooks & Dunn won duo of the year for the first time since 2010. The award had gone back and forth between Dan + Shay and Brothers Osborne for the past eight years. This extends Brooks & Dunn’s record number of wins in this category to 17. Brooks & Dunn won duo of the year at last year’s CMA Awards, setting the stage for this win.
Chris Stapleton won male artist of the year for the fifth time, which puts him in a four-way tie with Merle Haggard, George Strait and Brad Paisley for the most wins in the history of the category.
“Dirt Cheap,” written by Josh Phillips and recorded by Cody Johnson, won song of the year. It’s the first song written by a solitary songwriter to win since Jennifer Nettles won for “Stay” in 2008. Just one other song written by just one writer has won since 2000: Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” in 2002.
Moreover, “Dirt Cheap” is the first song in 11 years that was not written or co-written by the artist to in in this category. The last was “I Drive Your Truck,” written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington and Jimmy Yeary, and recorded by Lee Brice.
As previously announced, Zach Top won for new male artist of the year; The Red Clay Strays for new duo or group of the year; and Jessie Jo Dillon for songwriter of the year. This was the second year in a row that Dillon, the daughter of songwriting great Dean Dillon, has won in that category. She is the fourth two-time winner in that category, following Dallas Davidson, Shane McAnally and Hillary Lindsey.
Two non-competitive awards were also presented – a lifetime achievement award to Alan Jackson and a Triple Crown award to Keith Urban (signifying that he has won a new artist of the year award; an award for male, female, duo or group of the year; and entertainer of the year).
Morgan Wallen, Post Malone and Kelsea Ballerini were completely shut out, despite going into the show with a total of 16 nominations between them – seven for Wallen, five for Posty and four for Ballerini.
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