Turner Secures ‘iHeartRadio Music Awards’ Rights

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Turner Broadcasting has secured a multi-year deal to televise the iHeartRadio Music Awards across three networks, Turner announced Monday.

The awards show, which honors the best performers in music, will air April 3 simultaneously on TBS, TNT and truTV, network executives said. The event will air a day prior to TBS’ inaugural telecast of the NCAA men’s college basketball championship game.

"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.”

Over the past two years, the iHeartRadio Music Awards have featured appearances by such music performers 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 and Shakira.

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.