THE '2017 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS' KICK OFF THE SUMMER SEASON WITH A BANG WHEN IT RETURNS TO ABC ON SUNDAY, MAY 21

The Live Broadcast Will Air Sunday, May 21 at 8:00 p.m. EDT, on ABC

dick clark productions and ABC announced today that the "2017 Billboard Music Awards" is set to return to ABC and will be broadcast live on SUNDAY, MAY 21 (8:00-11:00 p.m. EDT). The program will showcase this year's hottest musical acts, big performances and buzzworthy pop culture moments that will have everyone talking.

Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on a 12-month reporting period ending in March of 2017. Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of artists, songs and albums, and are the ultimate measure of success in music.

The "2016 Billboard Music Awards" ranked as the No. 1 broadcast program on Sunday, May 22, 2016, and drew its 3rd-largest audience ever for the show on ABC with an average of 9.8 million viewers and a 3.2/10 in Adults 18-49. In addition, the 3-hour telecast was that day's most social program with 1.8 million tweets.

For additional information on the "2017 Billboard Music Awards" visit us at www.billboardmusicawards.com or the Billboard hub at www.billboard.com/bbma. The "2017 Billboard Music Awards" is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, Mark Bracco, Barry Adelman and Robert Deaton are executive producers.

For the latest Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the BBMAs on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #BBMAs. Facebook: FB.com/TheBBMAs Twitter: @BBMAs Instagram: bbmas Tumblr: bbmas.tumblr.com/ Snapchat: thebbmas

About Billboard

Billboard is the world's most influential music brand, built on the most complete and well- respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From the iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com, the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry's most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music - the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike. Billboard was named the leading U.S. brand on Twitter, surpassing the NFL, ESPN, BuzzFeed and MTV, with 7.5 million engaged actions in Q4 2015, and named an overall Top 10 U.S. Media Publisher in December 2015 with 11.8 million social actions. Billboard topped Shareablee's list of U.S. publishers by engagement on Twitter in Q4, ahead of brands including Bleacher Report, BuzzFeed and The New York Times. Billboard magazine has scored major news-generating covers recently including Nicki Minaj, Lana Del Rey, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.

About "2017 Billboard Music Awards"

The "2017 Billboard Music Awards" are set to return to ABC and will be broadcast live on Sunday, May 21 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. The program will showcase this year's hottest and biggest music stars. Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and other popular online destinations for music. These measurements are tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on a 12-month reporting period ending in March of 2017. The "2017 Billboard Music Awards" is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, Mark Bracco, Barry Adelman and Robert Deaton are executive producers.

About dick clark productions

dick clark productions (dcp) is the world's largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the "Academy of Country Music Awards," "American Music Awards," "Billboard Music Awards," "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," "Golden Globe Awards," "Hollywood Film Awards," "Miss America" and the "Streamy Awards." Weekly television programming includes "So You Think You Can Dance" from 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group and dcp. dcp also owns one of the world's most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with more than 55 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.