TNT and TBS Land Star-Studded iHeartRadio Music Awards
Unique, Fan-Fueled Musical Event to be Simulcast Live on All Three Networks Sunday, April 3, The Same Weekend as TBS’s Exclusive Coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four and National Championship
Burbank, Ca. - June 8, 2015 - One of the industry's biggest annual musical events is coming to TBS, TNT and truTV. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. has forged a multi-year deal with iHeartMedia, Inc. for the three networks to be the new television home for the iHeartRadio Music Awards. TBS, TNT and truTV will present a live simulcast of the annual event, which celebrates the world's best music and performers during a truly unforgettable night. The show will also be broadcast live on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and across TBS, TNT, truTV and iHeartRadio's digital platforms.
The Turner networks' first presentation of the iHeartRadio Music Awards is one of many major live events set to air on the networks next spring. The show is set to take place Sunday, April 3, 2016, airing between TBS's exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Final Four on April 2 and the network’s first-ever telecast of the National Championship game on April 4. Also slated for spring 2016 are the NBA Playoffs, with TNT televising more games than any other network. And Turner, in partnership with CBS Sports, provides exclusive live coverage of every game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship in its entirety across TBS, TNT, truTV and CBS.
"The iHeartRadio Music Awards has quickly established itself as a unique live event – an awards show for the digital age that brings together millions of music fans globally," said Kevin Reilly, president of TBS and TNT, chief creative officer for Turner Entertainment. "This multi-platform celebration will complement a spring packed with big live event music, entertainment and sports programming across our networks. The iHeartRadio Music Awards programmed between Turner’s exclusive coverage of the Final Four and National Championship games will make for an incredible weekend for sports and music fans alike."
"The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a true celebration of the music and artists we play for our 245 million monthly radio listeners across the country on our radio stations and on the iHeartRadio app," said John Sykes, president of iHeartMedia Entertainment Enterprises. "Now that we have an established track record of success with the awards show, partnering with Turner Broadcasting allows us to extend our reach to their tens of millions of viewers on TNT, TBS and truTV, making this a massive multi-platform event."
Launched in 2014, the iHeartRadio Music Awards is a star-studded, three-hour event featuring live performances, storytelling, surprise guests and first-time duets and collaborations. Over the past two years, the lineup has included live performances and appearances by such megastars as Rihanna, Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Madonna, Meghan Trainor, Katy Perry, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Snoop Dogg, Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Pitbull, Shakira and many others.
In addition to being a compelling celebration of music and artists, the iHeartRadio Music Awards is a celebration of the fans, millions of whom cast their votes for the winners through social media. During the awards' inaugural year, more than 65 million votes were cast across Facebook and Twitter, and the show generated 8.5 billion impressions on social media. This year's event grew by nearly +75% to generate more than 14 billion social media impressions, three times more than the Academy Awards®.
About Turner Broadcasting
TBS, TNT and truTV are part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company. Turner Broadcasting creates and programs branded news; entertainment; kids and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.