The 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS are heading to Texas.

CMT and CBS announced the 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS, country’s only entirely fan-voted awards, will air Sunday, April 2, 2023 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) LIVE from Austin, Texas’ Moody Center. The telecast marks the first time the event has aired from Texas or the venue. The show will air on CBS and be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Kelsea Ballerini will return as CMT MUSIC AWARDS co-host for the third year, news she revealed tonight during a surprise on-stage appearance with Carrie Underwood at her “The Denim & Rhinestones Tour” stop in Austin at Moody Center. Underwood, the winningest artist in CMT history, will also perform on the 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS.

“Both Austin and Nashville are two of the world’s greatest music cities, and we couldn’t be more excited to announce the return of the CMT MUSIC AWARDS on CBS than with co-host Kelsea Ballerini surprising Carrie Underwood, our most awarded artist, in the middle of her incredible live performance at Moody Center – the exact venue where we’ll all be back exactly five months from today!” shared Margaret Comeaux, John Hamlin, Leslie Fram and Jason Owen, Executive Producers, CMT MUSIC AWARDS. “Our fans are in for an unforgettable night of music with plenty of surprises, as the Live Music Capital meets Music City for the first time ever on a national stage in what will be a true country music extravaganza.”

Michael Owens, Vice President of Programming, Moody Center, said the programming team at Oak View Group and Moody Center had spent the past two years working to endear CMT, CBS and Paramount to Austin and the city's new world-class arena.

“CMT’s commitment to Austin reflects those efforts, and we couldn’t be more grateful and excited to host them next year,” he said.

Tom Noonan, President & CEO of Austin CVB, added they are “beyond thrilled to welcome the CMT Music Awards to Moody Center in 2023.”

“This event will have not only a huge financial impact on Austin and its tourism industry, but it will also showcase two of the top music brands globally, Austin as The Live Music Capital of the World and Country Music Television,” he said.  

For its inaugural year on CBS, the 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS delivered 5.89 million viewers, a 529% increase from June 2021, also dominating on social with 2.7 billion impressions across platforms.

The 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS Executive Producers are Margaret Comeaux (CMT), John Hamlin (Switched On Entertainment), Leslie Fram (CMT), and Jason Owen (Sandbox Entertainment); Patrizia DiMaria (Ladypants Productions) is co-executive producer; Jackie Barba and Heather D. Graffagnino are executives in charge of production; Shanna Strassberg and Taryn Hurd are talent producers.

Additional details for the 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS on CBS will be revealed soon. For more information and news, visit CMTPress.com and ParamountPressExpress.com, use hashtag #CMTAwards and follow @CMT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Tik Tok.