“CMA COUNTRY CHRISTMAS” RETURNS FOR A SECOND YEAR HOSTED BY JENNIFER NETTLES OF SUGARLAND
Two-Hour Special Unites Country Celebrities in Celebration of the Holidays

For the second consecutive year, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland will host “CMA Country Christmas.” The television special, which is produced by CMA, will feature many of today’s top Country artists and will air on the ABC Television Network later this year during the holiday season.

“CMA Country Christmas” will tape in front of a live audience on Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Performers, television airdate, and ticket information will be announced soon.

"I love holiday traditions and am so excited to add hosting ‘CMA Country Christmas’ to my new list of traditions now!” said Nettles. “I'm gonna have to up my game this second time around, so I’m putting Brad and Carrie on speed dial for hosting emergency consulting services!”

“We are excited to welcome Jennifer back as host for ‘CMA Country Christmas’ again this year,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “In addition to her vast musical talent, Jennifer is also a charming and engaging television personality. We know our fans and viewers will be excited to watch Jennifer host our holiday special again this year.”

The “CMA Country Christmas” taping will follow “The 45th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, which airs live from the Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. For photo and video highlights from last year’s show visit, www.CMAworld.com.

In 2010, the first “CMA Country Christmas” built sharply on its lead-in (+22%) and drew an average audience of 7.3 million viewers in its first airing on Nov. 30, 2010, topping original competition on NBC and FOX by wide margins. It improved its time period for ABC over the same night in 2009 by 1.0 million viewers (7.3 million vs. 6.3 million). The special re-aired a second time on Dec. 22, 2010, reaching 4.25 million viewers. With its combined airings, “CMA Country Christmas” was seen by more than 11.5 million viewers in 2010.

Nettles won four CMA Awards as one-half of Sugarland (CMA Vocal Duo of the Year 2007-2010). She won an additional Award on her own when she received the CMA Song of the Year Award for writing the duo’s hit single “Stay” in 2008. As part of Sugarland, she has sold more than nine million albums. The duo’s current album is The Incredible Machine.

“CMA Country Christmas” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer, Paul Miller is the director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.