THE COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION AND ABC CELEBRATE COUNTRY MUSIC'S BIGGEST NIGHT(TM) WITH SPECIAL PROGRAMMING LEADING INTO 'THE 56thANNUAL CMA AWARDS'

Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning Host 'The 56th Annual CMA Awards' Live From Nashville Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 8/7c on ABC

With less than a week until Country Music's Biggest Night(TM), the Country Music Association and ABC will celebrate with a variety of special programming leading into "The 56th Annual CMA Awards" airing WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9 (8:00-11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. Country music fans will have a front-row seat to the lives of Country stars around the world.

"ON THE RED CARPET: COUNTDOWN TO THE CMA AWARDS" - SATURDAY, NOV. 5, AND SUNDAY, NOV. 6 (check local listings)

On Saturday, Nov. 5, and Sunday, Nov. 6, ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles' entertainment reporter George Pennacchio hosts "On The Red Carpet: Countdown to the CMA Awards," a 30-minute special from Nashville featuring exclusive interviews with CMA Award nominees Miranda Lambert, LOCASH, Maddie & Tae and Lainey Wilson.

"ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY" - SATURDAY, NOV. 5 (9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. EDT, ESPN)

Luke Bryan joins ESPN's "College GameDay" as Celebrity Guest Picker on Saturday, Nov. 5. "College GameDay" visits Athens, Georgia, for the Tennessee vs. Georgia game.

"MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL WITH PEYTON AND ELI" - MONDAY, NOV. 7 (8:15 p.m. EST)

On Monday, Nov. 7, ESPN2 and ESPN+ present "Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli" as Peyton Manning welcomes his CMA Awards co-host Luke Bryan as a special guest.

"ON THE ROAD TO THE CMA AWARDS" - MONDAY, NOV. 7 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST)

On Monday, Nov. 7, ABC News' annual special is hosted by country music superstar Luke Bryan. ABC News teams travel across the globe to three different continents - Australia, Europe and North America - for a behind-the-scenes look at some of today's top country music stars. "On the Road to the CMA Awards" explores the highs and lows of life on tour, including the more private offstage moments, while meeting artists' most passionate and loyal fans. Featured artists include Kane Brown, Russell Dickerson, Wynonna Judd, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Carly Pearce and Lainey Wilson.

"JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!" - TUESDAY, NOV. 8, AND WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9 (11:35 p.m. EST)

Don't miss country music acts joining "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for very special performances. CMA Award nominee BRELAND visits the show on Tuesday, Nov. 8. And this year's CMA Awards top-nominated artist with six nods, Lainey Wilson, takes the stage on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

"GOOD MORNING AMERICA" - WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, AND THURSDAY, NOV. 10 (7:00-9:00 a.m. EST)

"Good Morning America" returns to Nashville for special CMA Awards coverage with Will Reeve on Wednesday, Nov. 9, and with Lara Spencer on Thursday, Nov. 10. Reeve will be with country music superstar and 13-time CMA Award winner Keith Urban as he takes the Bridgestone Plaza stage bright and early on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Plus, CMA Awards hosts Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning will share a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals ahead of Country Music's Biggest Night. Fans can also catch an early reveal of the CMA Award winners for Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year during GMA's broadcast. The next morning, join Lara Spencer for behind-the-scenes interviews with the night's CMA Award winners.

"ON THE RED CARPET LIVE AT THE CMA AWARDS" - WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9 (6:30-8:00 p.m. EST - streaming on Hulu/check local listings)

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, "On The Red Carpet" will feature live pre-show coverage of this year's CMA Awards outside of Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Streaming on OnTheRedCarpet.com, beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST, ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles' George Pennacchio and Roshumba Williams report from the red carpet giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at this year's awards - just moments before showtime - as well as interviews with many of this year's CMA Awards nominees and hottest stars. The first hour of coverage will stream on OnTheRedCarpet.com and ABC Owned Television Stations' 32 connected TV apps across streaming platforms Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku; followed by a simulcast from 7:30-8:00 p.m. EST of "On The Red Carpet" on linear across ABC Owned Television Stations ABC7/WABC-TV New York, ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles, ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago, 6ABC/WPVI-TV Philadelphia, ABC7/KGO-TV San Francisco, ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston, ABC11/WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham, ABC30/KFSN-TV Fresno and ABC affiliates (check local listings).

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About the CMA Awards 

The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast for the first time - making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The CMA Awards have aired on ABC since 2006. ABC is the network home of the CMA Awards and CMA's other two television properties, "CMA Fest" and "CMA Country Christmas."