"CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR" PERFORMERS, PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED

Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift To Be Honored By Musical Peers and Legends Across the Entertainment Spectrum

NASHVILLE - November 17, 2011 - The stars will be out in Nashville to honor the 2011 CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR - Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift - for their successes of the past year. Hosted by Rob Lowe, CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR will premiere Tuesday, December 13 at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT and CMT.com.

During the 90-minute special taped at the Bridgestone Arena, CMT will bring these five honorees together with their peers from across the entertainment spectrum and celebrate their year's successes with celebrity performances and appearances by The All-American Rejects, The Avett Brothers, Ellen DeGeneres, Gavin DeGraw, NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, Miranda Lambert, Matthew McConaughey, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, Lionel Richie, Joe Walsh of the Eagles and Hank Williams Jr.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR honorees 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.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR is one of the most highly-regarded events in country music, combining live performances with a celebratory dinner. This year, honorees and their guests will be treated to cuisine prepared by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, "Top Chef" winner and chef/partner of Girl & The Goat restaurant in Chicago.

For more information on the host, honorees, performers and television special as it becomes available, follow CMT on Twitter (@FollowCMT) with hashtag #CMTAOTY, Facebook, or download CMT's mobile app, CMT Insider, at www.cmt.com/app.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR is executive produced by Rac Clark. 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 93 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.