CMT News

CMT.com is celebrating its 15-year anniversary, and fans watching CMT on-air or online this week will see a number of video montages to commemorate the event while top country artists have joined in the celebration on Twitter via #CMT15YRS.

Websites are taken for granted these days, but that wasn't the case when CMT.com was launched in April 1997.

"People thought we were crazy when we launched," CMT.com vice president Martin Clayton said. "No one at that time understood the power of the Internet. CMT.com was among the first genre-specific sites and really one of the first brands to embrace the community. It's incredible to look back at all we've accomplished over the last 15 years."

Under Clayton's direction, it launched in 1997 as Country.com, one of the first major music websites among all genres. Rebranded as CMT.com in 2001, it continues to be the online authority for country music news and entertainment. It maintains its position as the No. 1 most-visited country music website, averaging more than 1.7 million unique visitors and 5 million video streams per month.

Here are some videos highlighting CMT.com's past 15 years: