"The CMA Awards is 'Country Music's Biggest Night' and is one of the most highly anticipated events for our industry each year," said Steve Moore, Chairman of the CMA Board of Directors. "It's a night to recognize and honor our finest performers, songwriters, record producers, musicians, and music video directors."

Held during November Sweeps (Nov. 11), "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards" on ABC, dominated the night ranking No. 1 in all six half-hours of the night in both total viewers and Adults 18-49 (5.3/14). In fact it was a clean sweep on the night as the network also took top honors of the evening across all key Adults, Men, and Women demographics (18-24, 18-49, 25-54), as well as registering as the top-rated broadcaster with Teens (12-17) and Kids (2-11).

The program beat second place CBS by 5.7 million viewers with 17.3 million people tuned in. The CMA Awards gave ABC its biggest Wednesday audience with non-sport programming in well over four years and its highest Adult 18-49 numbers in two years. An estimated 36 million viewers watched all or some portion of the live, three-hour broadcast.

The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958.

Winners of "The 44th Annual CMA Awards" will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

"The CMA Awards recognizes the best of our format. Our artists and music resonate with people from all walks of life and that's what makes this 'Country Music's Biggest Night'," said Moore.

The eligibility period for the 2010 CMA Awards is July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. All voting for "The 44th Annual CMA Awards" will be conducted online. The first ballot and instructions will be e-mailed June 29 to CMA members in good standing who are eligible to vote. Voting for the first ballot closes at 5:00 PM/CT, July 15.

The second ballot will be e-mailed to CMA members Aug. 10. Voting for the second ballot closes at 5:00 PM/CT, Aug. 23. The final nominees in each of the 12 categories will be announced in early September.