CMT REVEALS ITS FIRST-EVER "ARTISTS OF THE YEAR"

JASON ALDEAN, LADY ANTEBELLUM, TAYLOR SWIFT, CARRIE UNDERWOOD AND ZAC BROWN BAND TO BE HONORED IN AN ALL-NEW SPECIAL PREMIERING FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3 ON CMT

NASHVILLE - October 5, 2010 - CMT will honor Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Zac Brown Band, as the top artists of the year in the new 90-minute special, CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR, premiering Friday, December 3. Taping in Nashville, CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR will bring the honorees together with their peers, as well as celebrities from across the entertainment spectrum for a glamorous evening of star-studded performances from the country world and beyond, all in celebration of the successes of the past year.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR acts were chosen by ranking the top five artists based on the following criteria: sales (physical albums, digital albums, and single downloads); country radio airplay based on spins; concert grosses as a headliner or co-headliner; and activity on CMT.com (video streams, searches, and artist page views). The rankings were then compiled to identify the leading performers across the four categories cumulatively.

Over the past 12 months, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and Zac Brown Band have collectively received over 2.5 million plays of their current songs; sold over 8.5 million copies of their current albums; sold over 21 million individual downloads of their current singles; and topped both the touring and CMT.com charts, proving themselves to be the top country artists for 2010.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR is produced by Audrey Morrissey and Chad Hines. John Hamlin and Margaret Comeaux serve as executive producers for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 91 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.