The Country Music Association's annual holiday music show is returning; the CMA Country Christmas 2023 is set to take place this year on Thursday, December 14.
US: ABC (live TV streaming) | Hulu, Disney Plus (next day)
UK: BBC Four, iPlayer (later)
AU: Stan (next day) | Nine (later)
The US Christmas TV highlight is an hour-long special show, hosted in Nashville, in which country icons perform covers of festive classics and also their own songs too; you can find a full list of performances at the bottom of this article.
Hosting the event this year are Amy Grant and Trisha Yearwood, and it's going to be a packed hour judging by the 10 songs set to be played.
So if you're interested in watching the CMA Country Christmas show, whether live or on catch-up, on your TV or online, here's how to do so.
How to watch CMA Country Christmas in the US
To watch the CMA Country Christmas 2023 live, you can do so on ABC, which is the only channel showing the live show. It begins at 8 pm ET/PT and is available to anyone with a traditional pay-TV package or a TV antenna to receive local stations.
If you don't have cable, you'll be happy to hear that ABC is offered through a good few live TV streaming services. Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, DirecTV and YouTube TV all offer it as part of their channel selection.
If you don't mind watching the CMA Country Christmas show a little later, there's a cheaper way to watch it. Both Hulu and Disney Plus will host a video of the show from Friday, December 15, and they're a lot cheaper than a full TV service. Or, you can catch the show again when it is rebroadcast on ABC on Wednesday, December 20, at 10 pm ET/PT.
How to watch CMA Country Christmas in the UK
Unlike many country shows, there is actually a way to watch the CMA Country Christmas in the UK... except you'll have to wait a little bit.
The show will be broadcast in the UK on Friday, December 22, and you'll be able to watch it at 8:30 pm on BBC Four. Due to the lack of adverts, it's only a 40-minute show. You'll be able to watch it after that on iPlayer.
How to watch CMA Country Christmas in Australia
You have two ways of watching the CMA Country Christmas show in Australia.
First, the paid way that lets you watch it soon: streaming service Stan hosts the video of the show starting Friday, December 15. Stan has many tiers but the most affordable is $10 each month.
If you don't mind waiting to watch the show, it'll be free to watch on Nine 10 days later. That's Christmas Day, or Monday, December 25.
Who's playing at the CMA Country Christmas?
A week prior to the show, a full line-up and song list was announced. So we now know who's performing and what they'll be playing. As always it's a mix of classic carols and more modern festive compositions.
- "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" — Amy Grant & Trisha Yearwood
- "Joy to the World" — Amy Grant, Trisha Yearwood & Lindsey Stirling
- "Grown Up Christmas List" — Amy Grant
- "O Holy Night" — Trisha Yearwood & Lindsey Stirling
- "O Come All Ye Faithfull" — Jordan Davis
- "What Christmas Means to Me" — Lady A
- "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" — Ashley McBryde, Linsey Stirling
- "Beer for Santa" — Jon Pardi
- "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" — The War and Treaty
- "Go Tell It on the Mountain" — Zach Williams, Lainey Wilson
