CHRIS STAPLETON TO RECEIVE THE "2015 CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR BREAKOUT" AWARD AND PERFORM LIVE DURING "CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR" SPECIAL PREMIERING ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 AT 8PM ET/PT

Biggest Names in Music, Film and Television to Toast and Pay Homage To Honorees Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt and Kenny Rogers

NASHVILLE - November 17, 2015 - On the heels of topping both the all-genre and country album charts for the second consecutive week, CMT today announced that Chris Stapletonwill receive the "2015 CMT Artists of the Year Breakout" award and perform live during the sixth annual "CMT Artists of the Year," the definitive year end party, live from Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville on Wednesday, December 2 at 8pm ET/PT.

The sixth-annual 90-minute special will feature once-in-a-lifetime performances, unexpected tributes and unforgettable toasts as the biggest stars of music, film and television gather to celebrate the five artists that earned the right to be called CMT's artists of the year: Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt. These artists collectively dominated the last 12 months ruling CMT's platforms and country radio, scoring chart-topping album and singles, and selling out arenas around the country. Country legend Kenny Rogers will receive the prestigious "Artist of a Lifetime" award. Additional performers, presenters, and special guests will be announced at a later date.

Previous "CMT Artists of the Year" honorees include Jason Aldean (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), Kenny Chesney (2011, 2012), Eric Church (2012), Hunter Hayes (2013), Toby Keith (2012), Lady Antebellum (2010, 2011), Miranda Lambert (2012, 2014), Tim McGraw (2013), Brad Paisley (2011), Taylor Swift (2010, 2011), Carrie Underwood (2010, 2012), Keith Urban (2014) and Zac Brown Band (2010).

Previous "CMT Artist of the Year" performances have included Adele and Darius Rucker performing Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan's mashup of "Oh No" and "All Night Long," and Maroon 5 covering Taylor Swift's "Mine." The show has featured appearances by EllenDeGeneres, Matthew McConaughey, Selena Gomez, Billy Bob Thornton, Roger Clemens, Morgan Freeman and more.

For more information visit CMT.com or CMTPress.com, and go join the conversation on the official CMT Facebook page or follow @CMT on Twitter using the official hashtag, #CMTAOTY.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR is executive produced by Switched On Entertainment's John Hamlin. Jayson Dinsmore and Margaret Comeaux serve as executive producers for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT, CMT.com and CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT App, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.