CMT Announces Premiere Dates for New Series, Renews I LOVE KELLIE PICKLER

CMT is doubling its impressive slate of original award-winning programming, music events and documentaries including a new annual music tent-pole event "Concert of the Summer," the first round of casting for "Million Dollar Quartet" (working title) and a second season order for "I Love Kellie Pickler." CMT also revealed the premiere dates for "Still The King," "The Dude Perfect Show" and "NASCAR: The Rise of American Speed" at the network's annual Upfront presentation held today at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.

"Much like our hometown of Nashville, CMT embraces both tradition and change," said Brian Philips, President of CMT. "This year, we are doubling our original programming to celebrate the bigger and broader country fan base. We're crafting stories and characters that are multifaceted and unexpected."

SCRIPTED:

This year, CMT makes an ambitious move into scripted programming with the premieres of "Still The King" and "Million Dollar Quartet."

Coming this November, "Million Dollar Quartet," produced by Thinkfactory Media's Leslie Greif ("Hatfields & McCoys") and directed by Oscar nominee Roland Joffé, is a coming-of-age story set in the unraveling world of 1950s Memphis where music and race collide, ultimately creating pop music's first superstars.

After a nationwide casting call held at Elvis Presley's high school alma mater in Memphis last month, CMT has cast Drake Milligan as young Elvis Presley, Kevin Fonteyne ("Masters of Sex," "Melissa & Joey") as Johnny Cash, twins ChristianLees ("Tale of Tales," "Parents") and Jonah Lees ("Tale of Tales," "Eric & Ernie") as cousins Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart,respectively. Additional cast members will be announced at a later date. During the Upfront event, Fonteyne and Milligan wowed the audience as they performed together for the first time as Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.

The comedy "Still The King" debuts Sunday, June 12 at 9pm ET/PT, a few days after the "2016 CMT Music Awards."The series boasts an impressive ensemble cast with Billy Ray Cyrus, Joey Lauren Adams ("Big Daddy," "Mall Rats"), MadisonIseman ("Laid in America," Nickelodeon's "Henry Danger"), Lacey Chabert ("Mean Girls," "Party of Five"), Leslie David Baker ("The Office"),Kevin Farley ("The Waterboy"), Travis Nicholson and Jon Sewell.

"Still The King" follows Vernon (Cyrus), a scandal-ridden, washed-up, one-hit-wonder who crashes back into THE LIFE of his ex (Adams) and discovers he had a daughter (Iseman) he knew nothing about.

MUSIC:

CMT's award-winning slate of music programming and events continues to expand, including three tent-pole events ("CMT Music Awards," "CMT Concert of the Summer" and "CMT Artists of the Year") as well as four new episodes of the seminal fan-favorite "CMTCrossroads."

The network's signature event, the "2016 CMT Music Awards," premieres Wednesday, June 8 at 8pm ET/PT. This summer, CMT teams up with one of country's biggest stars to redefine the concert-going experience; giving fans an ALL ACCESS pass and an unforgettable look at one of the year's most sought after tickets with the inaugural music event, "Concert of the Summer."The definitive year-end celebration, "CMT Artists of the Year," premieres live on Wednesday, October 19 at 8pm ET/PT. Beginning this spring, CMT debuts four new episodes of its critically acclaimed genre-blending music series "CMT Crossroads." Episodes feature Jason Derulo and Luke Bryan (summer), Nick Jonas and Thomas Rhett (summer), Cheap Trick and Jennifer Nettles (March 24th at 11pm ET/PT), and Rob Thomas and Charles Kelley (late spring).

DOCUMENTARIES:

CMT original documentaries tell authentic and provocative stories with an unexpected point-of-view. Having notched three critically acclaimed documentaries watched by more than 25 million viewers, CMT's slate this year includes the high-octane three night event "NASCAR: The Rise of American Speed" (May 8, 15, 22 at 10pm ET/PT) as well SXSW selected original documentaries "The Bandit"in August and "Chicken People"in November.

UNSCRIPTED:

Featuring a mix of new and returning favorites, CMT's unscripted series celebrate the audience's best attributes in new and unexpected ways. The highly anticipated "The Dude Perfect Show," whose trailer was released today to their 25 million fans kicks off Thursday, April 14at 9pm ET/PT. Known for their wildly popular trick shot and stunt videos, the series, from producer Rob Dyrdek (MTV's "Ridiculousness" and "Fantasy Factory"), follows the five viral sensations as they open the doors to their man cave in Dallas, Texas, to showcase exactly how they cook up their next crazy idea. The debut season will feature appearances from Luke Bryan, Chris Paul, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Aaron Rogers and more.

On the heels of scoring CMT's highest-rated series premiere since 2012 and highest with women since 2008, "I Love Kellie Pickler" from executive producer Ryan Seacrest returns for a second season in August, along with the 11th season of the fan-favorite "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team," which is coming off its highest-rated season to date.

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 Music, CMT App, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

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