CMA Awards 2026: Date, Time, Channel, Host and Nominees

Checked Oct. 25, 2026. Venue and nomination counts below come from news reports; we will confirm them against the Country Music Association when it posts them.

The 60th Annual CMA Awards air live on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, at 8/7c on American Broadcasting Company (ABC), according to the Country Music Association (CMA). The CMA’s official site says Lainey Wilson returns to host, marking her third consecutive year in the role. The show also streams on Disney+ and is on Hulu the next day. Below are the time in each U.S. time zone, what is confirmed and what is only reported, and a printable watch sheet.

What time are the CMA Awards 2026?

The CMA lists the show at “8/7c.” That is television shorthand for 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) and 7 p.m. Central Time (CT), where “c” stands for Central. The U.S. returns to standard time after Nov. 1, so the times below are standard time.

Time zone	Time on Wed., Nov. 18, 2026
Eastern (ET)	8 p.m.
Central (CT)	7 p.m.
Mountain (MT)	6 p.m.
Pacific (PT)	5 p.m.

The ET and CT times follow the CMA’s listing. The Mountain and Pacific rows are our arithmetic from the Eastern time. The CMA’s page gives only “8/7c,” so check your local ABC listings for the Pacific airing before you plan around 5 p.m.

What channel are the CMA Awards on, and how can you stream them?

The CMA’s site says “Live November 18, 2026 at 8/7c on ABC” and “Watch CMA Awards live Nov. 18 at 8/7c on ABC & Disney+, next day on Hulu.” In short, the live show is on ABC and Disney+, and the next-day option is Hulu. The CMA page does not say what subscription or sign-in each service needs, so check each service before the night.

Who is hosting the CMA Awards 2026?

Lainey Wilson. The CMA says she returns to host “The 60th Annual CMA Awards,” her third consecutive year as host. For comparison, in 2025 the 59th CMA Awards aired Nov. 19 on ABC with Wilson as host.

Who leads the CMA Awards 2026 nominations?

Ella Langley leads with nine nominations, Nashville TV station News4 reported on Sept. 10, 2026. We give no other counts because we have not confirmed them against the CMA. The full list of nominees is on the CMA’s nominees page, which is the place to check every category.

What is confirmed and what is only reported?

Detail	Status	Source
Date: Wed., Nov. 18, 2026	Confirmed	CMA, cmaawards.com
Time: 8/7c	Confirmed	CMA, cmaawards.com
Channel: ABC	Confirmed	CMA, cmaawards.com
Streaming: Disney+ live, Hulu next day	Confirmed	CMA, cmaawards.com
Host: Lainey Wilson	Confirmed	CMA, cmaawards.com
Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville	Reported	Holler
Most nominations: Ella Langley, nine	Reported	News4 Nashville, Sept. 10, 2026

Keep the CMA Awards 2026 watch sheet

Our free printable has the date, the time for each U.S. zone, the channel, the stream and the host, with lines for your own picks. Add Nov. 18 to your November 2026 printable calendar, or plan the week around it with a printable weekly calendar. If you are planning other November viewing, see our Thanksgiving 2026 TV schedule, the Hallmark Countdown to Christmas 2026 schedule and our recent Premios Billboard 2026 story.