"CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL: COUNTRY'S NIGHT TO ROCK" COMES TO LIFE WITH INSTAGRAM

Live Instagram Feed Will Debut During ABC Concert Special Airing August 12

NASHVILLE - The Country Music Association has partnered with the ABC Television Network and Mass Relevance to create a unique broadcast television Instagram integration, which will debut during "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" airing MONDAY, AUGUST 12 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

"We are excited to be the first primetime network special that gives viewers the chance to be on national television using Instagram," said Ben Bennett, CMA Director of Digital Strategy. "Country Music fans have the chance to contribute to the special in a way that has never been done before. That's an exciting moment in the history of this event."

Instagram photos from fans will be incorporated on-air during the special which features performances from Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Hunter Hayes, Kid Rock, Lenny Kravitz, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Kip Moore, Jason Mraz, Kacey Musgraves, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Lennon and Maisy Stella of "Nashville," Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band.

"'CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock' is one of television's hottest music events with a passionate audience who has a lot to share about the artists they love," said Sam Decker, Mass Relevance Chief Executive Officer. "Working together, we really focused on the newest ways to use the Mass Relevance platform to drive innovative forms of social engagement in the broadcast, for example by layering in Instagram content from sing-and-dance-'til-dawn fans. The result is a phenomenal, on-air experience that brings the special to life by integrating the most compelling social content from real Country Music lovers."

Fans need not have attended the 2013 CMA Music Festival in Nashville to participate in the special, as photos will be broadcast from not only cached content collected during the Festival itself, but also from fans watching the special at home.

To participate, fans simply post photos to Instagram using #CMAfest.

"We are very excited to be at the forefront of finding new ways to bring interactive experiences directly to our viewing audience," said Timothy Bock, Vice President, Production for Alternative Series and Specials at ABC. "Over the past year we have successfully been integrating social media content into many of our shows as they are simultaneously being sent to air. When CMA approached us and asked us to devise a way to capture graphics-based Instagrams during the CMA Music Festival broadcast and display them directly to the airing program, we gathered our amazing team together again to brainstorm, and in a matter of a couple of weeks, rolled out our new social media integration system that will allow us to bring people's Instagram photos live into their living rooms only minutes after they have snapped the picture."

Select photos will appear live on-air during the special, giving fans the chance to share with the world not only their experiences at this year's Festival, but also watching "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" at home with family and friends. Instagram photos tagged with #CMAfest will also be displayed online at CMAfest.com.

Filmed June 6-9, "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" features behind-the-ropes access and interviews, day-in-the life segments, late-night jams, exciting performances and surprise collaborations. This is the 10th anniversary of this one-of-a-kind special, which showcases America's biggest Country Music bash. "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" is executive-produced by Robert Deaton.

The 2013 CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" was shot in high definition and will be broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound. For more information, visit CMAfest.com.

About CMA: Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association was the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. In 1961, CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame to recognize artists and industry professionals with Country Music's highest honor. More than 7,000 music industry professionals and companies from around the globe are members of CMA. The organization's objectives are to serve as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advance the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA's core initiatives: the CMA Awards, which annually recognize outstanding achievement in the industry; the CMA Music Festival, which benefits music education and is taped for a three-hour TV special; and "CMA Country Christmas," featuring Country artists performing original music and Christmas classics for broadcast during the holiday season. All of CMA's television properties will air on the ABC Television network through 2021.

About ABC Entertainment Group: Formed in 2009, the ABC Entertainment Group, comprised of ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios, develops and produces compelling programming across all day parts for both national and international broadcast and digital platforms, as well as for national syndication. ABC Studios' current hits include "Army Wives" (Lifetime), "Castle," "Cougar Town" (TBS), "Criminal Minds" (CBS), "Grey's Anatomy," "Nashville," "Once Upon a Time," "Perception" (TNT), "Revenge" and "Scandal." The ABC Television Network is also home to the Emmy-winning "Modern Family" and comedy favorite "The Middle"; reality phenomenon "Shark Tank" and long-running hit "Dancing with the Stars"; "General Hospital," which just celebrated its 50th anniversary on the network, along with daytime talk shows "The View," "Katie" and "The Chew"; and Jimmy Kimmel Live, which successfully launched its new 11:35 p.m. time period earlier this year. The network also boasts some of television's most prestigious awards shows, including The Academy Awards(R), the Country Music Awards, The American Music Awards and The Billboard Music Awards.

About Mass Relevance: Based in Austin, Texas, Mass Relevance helps brands, media and agencies get more from their social media efforts by building social experiences into their marketing strategy. More than 300 major brands, sports teams, publishers and broadcasters trust the Mass Relevance SaaS platform to create real-time consumer engagement by aggregating, filtering, and re-displaying content from any social network to any digital property. In the past two and a half years, Mass Relevance has delivered more than 30 billion pieces of social content to multiple digital surfaces for world-class brands such as Pepsi, Campbell's, GE, Target, Walgreens and Microsoft. Mass Relevance has also supported iconic events like the Super Bowl and Academy Awards, launches such as The Avengers and Madonna MDNA, and television phenoms "American Idol", "X-Factor", "80 Plates" and "The Voice."

The company is privately held with venture capital funding. For more information, please visit the company's website at massrelevance.com.