Nashville's New Year's Eve bash anchors a growing TV empire
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From July Fourth fireworks to New Year's Eve countdowns and star-filled specials, Nashville has become a destination for major TV networks looking to capture large-scale events for a national audience.
Why it matters: Nashville's growing TV empire offers "the kind of exposure you simply can't buy," Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. president and CEO Deana Ivey said this year.
The latest: Tourism leaders announced the headliners for Nashville's New Year's Eve special on Tuesday.
- Little Big Town, The Red Clay Strays and Hardy will anchor the CBS broadcast of the free concert at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
Zoom out: The celebration has become a national television fixture since debuting on CBS in 2021. The network this year signed another multiyear agreement to continue broadcasting the event.
The payoff: Ivey told Metro tourism commissioners in February 2025 that the December 2024 broadcast generated the equivalent of $400 million in advertising exposure for Nashville.
The big picture: Nashville has hosted the nationally broadcast CMA Awards for decades. But the city's TV identity now extends well beyond that ceremony.
- ABC's live broadcast of Nashville's Fourth of July celebration this year averaged 5.4 million viewers, helping the network beat NBC in July 4 primetime for the first time in 16 years.
- ABC also aired its annual CMA Fest special in June, continuing a 23-year tradition of nationally televised festival highlights.
Between the lines: Nashville offers networks a potent combination of star power, production expertise and massive, established public celebrations.
The intrigue: There is a common thread connecting much of Nashville's on-air footprint. Veteran producer Robert Deaton helms the New Year's Eve broadcast, the CMA Awards and the "CMA Country Christmas" special, among others.
- He'll be back at work Wednesday night on a new tribute to Dolly Parton airing live from Belmont University.
What's next: ABC will broadcast the two-hour Parton special from 8–10pm Central Wednesday.
- Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill and other stars are set to perform at Belmont's Fisher Center.
- It will stream live on Disney+ and will be available to watch the following day on Hulu.