Double encore presentation set for Thursday, May 19 at 9p/8c (commercial free)
& Saturday, May 21 at 12p/11c
NASHVILLE, TN – CMT and Sandbox Live’s premiere of “NAOMI JUDD: A RIVER OF TIME CELEBRATION,” a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of country music icon Naomi Judd, more than tripled ratings in its time period, spurring record engagement across social platforms and scoring as CMT’s highest rated music special in over two years*.
In response to overwhelming demand, the special will receive a double encore presentation this week, again airing commercial-free on Thursday, May 19 at 9p/8c, followed by a second airing on Saturday, May 21 at 12p/11c, exclusively on CMT.
Top linear and social highlights from Sunday night’s premiere of “NAOMI JUDD: A RIVER OF TIME CELEBRATION” include:
- Ranks as the highest-rated musical special on CMT in two years, posting triple digit growth above the time period on rating (+125%) and share (+122%).
- In less than 48 hours, 16 million+ cumulative views on performances across CMT social platforms, with leading content including Wynonna’s “River of Time” opening performance, which landed in the Top 10 of YouTube’s list of top trending videos the past two days.**
- Views from The Judds final performance of “Love Can Build A Bridge” from the 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS continue to climb, with 2.5M views on YouTube alone.
Hosted by Robin Roberts, Wynonna and Ashley Judd together celebrated their mother’s legacy from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, with emotional performances, special messages and more from Ashley McBryde, Bette Midler, Bono, Brad Paisley, Brandi Carlile, Carly Pearce, Emmylou Harris & Allison Russell, Gaither Vocal Band, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Reba McEntire, Reese Witherspoon, Salma Hayek, among others. More info here.
“NAOMI JUDD: A RIVER OF TIME CELEBRATION” is a co-production from CMT and Sandbox Live; Margaret Comeaux (CMT), Leslie Fram (CMT), Jason Owen (Sandbox) and Patrizia DiMaria (Ladypants Productions) are Executive Producers.
*Source: Nielsen; LSD/P18-49 coverage ratings; highest among CMT Original Music programming since CMT Giants 4/8/2020, excl. Music Awards/Artists of the Year/Hot 20 franchises
**Source: Conviva, TikTok Analytics, Instagram Reels