The Country Music Association Awards returns Wednesday with another jam-packed ceremony. In honor of its 52nd annual celebration, the night is expected to be one for the books.
This year's ceremony at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena will be hosted by country stars Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, who have hosted the star-studded affair together for 11 consecutive years. Kacey Musgraves, Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan and Keith Urban are among this year's lineup of performers. Nominees for the night include Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris and Lady Antebellum.
In order to not miss out on country's biggest night, here's how fans can partake in this year's fun.
The 52nd annual CMA Awards airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
How to Watch Red Carpet
Let's face it, watching the stars arrive on the red carpet is one of the best parts of the awards ceremony viewing experience. Luckily, there's a way to watch the CMA's red carpet pre-coverage free.
The CMA red carpet show, titled The CMA Awards: All Access, will air live from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. By heading to ABC's YouTube page at this set time, fans can stream pre-show coverage for free. Fans can stream the red carpet show on CMAawards.com as well.
Pickler & Ben co-hosts Kellie Pickler and Ben Aaron will host this year's red carpet show. They will be joined by Today In Nashville's Kelly Sutton.
How to Watch and Stream the Ceremony
The 52nd annual CMA Awards will air promptly at 8 p.m. on ABC, but viewing the ceremony may be tricky for those without a television. Fortunately, fans can stream the ceremony live via ABC.com and ABC's app. This option is accessible to viewers who have ABC included in their television subscription package.
For those without a cable package, programs like Hulu Live TV provide access to channels such as ABC. Hulu's service, in fact, comes with a 7-day free trial before a subscriber is charged a monthly fee of $39.99.
Who's Predicted to Win
While country favorites like Musgraves are nominated for Album of the Year and Lauren Alaina for New Artist, there is a lack of female representation in the male-dominated Entertainer of the Year category. Despite this, oddsmakers at Gold Derby have pegged the following country artists as the night's likely winners:
- Luke Bryan was predicted as the likely contender to win Entertainer of the Year
- Chris Stapleton for Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year
- Kacey Musgraves for Female Vocalist of the Year
- Dan + Shay as Vocal Duo of the Year
- Little Big Town for Vocal Group of the Year
- Luke Combs as New Artist of the Year
- Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line as the Musical Event of the Year for their song "Meant to Be"
- Sugarland and Taylor Swift for Music Video of the Year for their song "Babe"
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Dory Jackson is a New York-based entertainment journalist from Maryland. She graduated from Randolph-Macon College—in May 2016—with a focus in Communication ... Read more
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