CMT (American TV channel)

CMT is an American pay television channel owned by ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, a division of ViacomCBS. Launched on March 5, 1983 as Country Music Television, CMT was the first nationally available channel devoted to country music and country music videos, with its programming also including concerts, specials, and biographies of country music stars. Over time, the network's programming expanded to incorporate original lifestyle and reality programming while downplaying its focus on country music.

For the Canadian channel of the same name, see CMT (Canadian TV channel). For other uses, see CMT.

CMT
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaUnited States
HeadquartersNew York City, United States
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks
Sister channels
History
LaunchedMarch 5, 1983 (1983-03-05)
Replaced[1]
Former namesCMTV (1983)
Links
WebsiteCMT.com
Availability
Cable
Available on most cable systemsVaries by cable provider
Satellite
Orby TVChannel 290
Dish NetworkChannel 166
DirecTVChannel 327
Channel 1327 (VOD)
IPTV
Verizon FiOSChannel 221 (SD)
Channel 721 (HD)
AT&T U-verseChannel 525 (SD)
Channel 1525 (HD)
Streaming media
fuboTVInternet Protocol television
PhiloInternet Protocol television
Sling TVInternet Protocol television
AT&T TVInternet Protocol television
YouTube TVInternet Protocol television

As of January 2018, approximately 92 million U.S. homes [2] (or 76.9% of the Nielsen-estimated 119.2 million television households [3]) receive CMT. The channel's headquarters are located in One Astor Plaza in New York City, and has additional offices in Nashville, Tennessee.

History

Early years (1983–1991)

CMTV, an initialism for Country Music Television, was founded by Glenn D. Daniels, the owner of Video World Productions in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Daniels put together the ownership group of Telestar Corporation and the Blinder Robinson & Company investment bank in a three-way split. Daniels also served as the program director and the first president of the network.[4]

The network launched on March 5, 1983, at 6:19 p.m. CT, beating its chief competitor, TNN, to air by two days. The first video clip to air on CMT was Faron Young's 1971 hit "It's Four in the Morning".[5] The following summer, MTV filed a trademark infringement lawsuit over the initials CMTV, and the network changed its name to simply CMT.[6]

Gaylord years (1991–1997)


This logo was used when MTV brought this channel in 2000.

In 1991, Opryland USA and its owner Gaylord Entertainment Company acquired CMT in a $34 million deal.[7] The network was sold by a group led by radio station owner Robert Sillerman, record producer James Guercio and Nyhl L Henson.[7] Opryland USA and owner Gaylord also owned CMT's competitor The Nashville Network.

In October 1992, CMT launched its first international channel, CMT Europe, as part of the Sky Multichannels package. By 1998, Gaylord reported $10 million in losses from CMT Europe and decided to cease broadcasting the declining network on March 31, 1998.[8] Gaylord had planned to emulate the successful model created by E!, by selling large programming blocks to other European channels, but these plans never occurred.[8]

On October 1, 1994, Gaylord made its first major format change for CMT by adding several new programs:

  • Big Ticket: Music videos by country music artists.
  • Jammin' Country: A combination of rock n' roll and country music together.
  • CMT Signature Series: A wide variety of vintage, classic country music videos.
  • The CMT Delivery Room: A wide variety of brand new music videos.
  • CMT Saturday Nite Dance Ranch: A wide variety of club-themed music videos.
  • CMT Top 12 Countdown: Counting down top 12 videos.[9] All shows eventually were cancelled by 2001.

In 1995, CMT dropped all videos by Canadian artists without U.S. record contracts in response to the network being replaced in Canada by Calgary, Alberta-based New Country Network.[10] By March 1996, CMT had eventually returned the dropped videos to its playlist after reaching an agreement to acquire a 20% ownership of New Country Network, in addition to renaming it CMT.[11]

CBS/Viacom years (1997–present)
CMT's offices are located at ViacomCBS's headquarters in New York City, but has additional offices in downtown Nashville, Tennessee (as seen here).

In 1997, both CMT and TNN were sold to Westinghouse, then-owner of CBS for a reported $1.5 billion.[12] The acquisition of the two country-themed networks, along with the formation of the ill-fated CBS Eye on People network, and two regional sports networks (the Baltimore-area Home Team Sports, now Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest Sports Channel in the Twin Cities, now Fox Sports North) formed the CBS Cable division, based in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry and a Charlotte office at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

In 1999, Viacom acquired CBS, assuming ownership of CMT and TNN and folding them into the MTV Networks stable. The resulting moves in 2000 led to the closing of the CBS Charlotte office, while Viacom moved TNN's operations from Nashville to its own headquarters in New York City and changed its format, eventually renaming it The National Network and then reformatting it again as Spike; it was renamed as the Paramount Network in January 2018. CMT also experienced a migration of its mainline operations from Nashville to New York (although their Nashville office building was kept as a secondary operation), and experienced a format change; being modeled after sister networks MTV and VH1 to include series and movies, in addition to music videos. Over time, the number of music videos on the network had steadily decreased with the late May 2006 rebranding of VH1 Country to CMT Pure Country, with music video programming on CMT eventually being relegated mainly to the overnight and morning hours (similar to MTV and VH1). Also, on January 3, 2006, the original Viacom split into two different companies: One being the legal successor to Viacom, CBS Corporation, and the other being the 'new' Viacom, with CMT, Spike TV and the MTV family of networks being part of the latter company.

Logo used until 2017.

Despite the decrease in music videos, CMT has experienced significant ratings gains since its acquisition by MTV Networks in 1999. By 2007, the channel was available in more than 83 million homes.[13] As of 2009, the network now reaches 88 million homes.

On April 4, 2012, CMT announced its first adult animated series, Bounty Hunters, featuring the voices of Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall who also serve as executive producers. CMT also announced that it would air Trinity 911, a 10-episode "workplace docu-comedy" that follows the police force in a small Texas town.[14] Trinity 911 was later renamed Big Texas Heat[15] and removed from the schedule after airing four episodes.

On June 10, 2016, CMT announced that they would pick up the primetime network series Nashville after ABC's cancellation of the series, and renewed the series for a fifth full season of 22 episodes; it will continue to be streamed beginning the day after an episode's first airing on Hulu.[16]

In 2017, as part of Viacom's restructuring plans, CMT would begin a transition back to unscripted programming.[17] As a result, Nashville's sixth season would also be its last.[18][19]

As part of its shift back to unscripted programming, CMT announced Music City in September 2017,[20] a reality series created by Adam DiVello of The Hills and Laguna Beach fame.[21] Set in Nashville, Tennessee, the show features Bryant Lowry, a drummer in the Nashville pop band Jet Black Alley Cat.[22][23] The series premiered on March 1, 2018.[24][25]

In 2019, Viacom acquired Pluto TV, a free streaming service, and launched several CMT-branded channels, including a channel focused on Western genre movies (CMT Westerns) and a channel dedicated to Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.[26][27][28]

Programming
Main article: List of programs broadcast by CMT

CMT's current programming consists of original southern lifestyle and reality shows and acquired general entertainment programming unrelated to country music. The channel's daily music programming currently consists of a music video block, seen during the early morning hours, as well as CMT Hot Twenty, which airs on weekend mornings. Of Viacom's former music channels (not counting its suite of all-music digital channels), CMT has historically been the most devoted to music-related programming and previously set aside at least six hours of its daily schedule for music videos during the overnight and morning hours. In addition, most of CMT's original programming is centered or related to the Culture of Dallas or Nashville, Tennessee, where the network's studios are located.[29]

CMT's music mix is primarily focused on mainstream hit country songs, but also includes occasional videos from crossover, Americana, and alternative acts (dubbed "CMT Edge"). Specials seen on the network include the annual CMT Music Awards, featuring awards in various categories and performances by country music artists, and CMT Crossroads, which pairs country music artists with musicians from other music genres.

Spin-offs and International Networks
  • CMT Europe - Launched in October 1992 and folded in March 1998.
  • CMT Australia - Launched on July 1, 2020 as a replacement for Country Music Channel. Dedicated to country music videos.
  • CMT Music - Dedicated to country music videos. Launched on August 1, 1998 as "VH1 Country" and rebranded as "CMT Pure Country" from May 27, 2006 to January 4, 2016.
  • CMT (Canada) - Canadian version majority-owned by Corus Entertainment with Viacom managing a 10% stake in the channel. Unlike its American counterpart, CMT Canada shifted its focus toward family-oriented programming. The network has only sparingly acquired shows and specials sourced from the U.S. version in-favor of producing its own original programming. The channel previously aired country music programming during the daytime hours and general entertainment programming in the evenings; it would abandon the former format altogether in August 2017. It was originally launched as the "New Country Network" on January 1, 1995.
  • The Nashville Network - A former rival network. It became a sibling to CMT in 1997 and eventually shifted to a general entertainment format to prevent overlap. Its original incarnation was relaunched as Spike TV in 2003 and, later, Paramount Network in 2018.

References
  1. Charles K. Wolfe; James E. Akenson (October 17, 2014). Country Music Annual 2001. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813157184. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  2. "Spectrum Reach: Country Music Television". Spectrum. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  3. "Nielsen Insights: National Television Household Universe 2017-2018 Season". Nielsen Research. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  4. Wolfe, Charles; Akenson, James (2001). Country Music Annual 2001. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 8. ISBN 0813130883. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  5. Andrew Leahey (March 6, 2015). "Flashback: CMT Airs First Country Music Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  6. Kingsbury, Paul; McCall, Michael; Rumble, John (2012). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. p. 94. ISBN 9780199920839. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  7. "Nashville Net closes CMT acquisition deal". Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2009.  – via HighBeam (subscription required)
  8. Katz, Richard (February 3, 1998). "Gaylord shutters CMT Euro". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  9. "CMT launches new series". BNET. Archived from the original on July 2, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  10. "U.S. country TV drops Canadian videos". Toronto Star. January 10, 1995. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  11. "Country music TV channels in accord". Toronto Star. March 8, 1996. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  12. "CBS makes cable a 'core business;' with purchase of TNN and CMT, network doubles its cable holdings.(cable television networks)" Article from: Broadcasting & Cable: February 17, 1997 Author: Katz, Michael
  13. Underwood, Ryan (April 15, 2007). "If it has a screen, CMT is on it". The Tennessean.
  14. Bibel, Sara (April 4, 2012). "CMT Picks Up Two New Series: 'Bounty Hunters,' and 'Trinity 911'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  15. "CMT Lines Up Big Premieres for November with Returning Favorite "Redneck Island" Along with New Series "Chainsaw Gang" and "Big Texas Heat"". The Futon Critic. October 15, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  16. Andreeva, Nellie (June 10, 2016). "'Nashville' Picked Up For Season 5 By CMT With Next-Day Play on Hulu". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  17. Lieberman, David (February 9, 2017). "Viacom CEO Supports Paramount And Non-Core Networks – But For How Long?". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  18. Andreeva, Nellie (May 3, 2017). "CMT Programming Chief Jayson Dinsmore On CMT's New 'Reinforcing' Brand Status, More 'Sun Records' & Scripted Future". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  19. Andreeva, Nellie (November 17, 2017). "'Nashville' To End: Season 6 On CMT Will Be Country Drama Series' Last". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  20. "New Docu-Series Music City Coming to CMT in 2018". CMT News. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  21. "Can 'Music City' break Nashville's reality TV curse?". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  22. Thompson, Avery (February 9, 2018). "'Music City': Meet The Newest Cast Members Of CMT's Nashville Reality Show". Hollywood Life. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  23. Maue, Savanna. "Bryant Lowry, a musician with Topeka roots, featured in upcoming CMT show 'Music City'". The Topeka Capital. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  24. "Kerry and Rachyl's Marriage Is Tested This Season on Music City: 'I Kind of Messed Up'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  25. "Meet the Music City Cast". CMT News. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  26. "Viacom Announces Completion of Pluto TV Acquisition". www.businesswire.com. March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  27. Peterson, Tim (April 16, 2019). "Viacom will debut 15 channels on Pluto TV to bolster its upfront pitch". Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  28. Bouma, Luke (August 19, 2019). "Pluto TV is Adding 4 New Channels Tomorrow Including TV Land Drama, TV Land Sitcoms, & Comedy Central Roast". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  29. Nakamura, Reid (March 11, 2019). "CMT Orders Nashville Version of 'Hollywood Squares' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
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