YouTube Music Signs American Music Awards Two-Year Title Sponsorship Deal
By Todd Spangler
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – YouTube Music inked a two-year deal to be the first presenting sponsor of the American Music Awards — positioned as the marriage of two brands all about music of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Under the deal between Google and Dick Clark Prods.’ AMAs, Music will be promoted as a go-to music platform for streaming music, videos, live performances and other content. In the U.S., ABC will broadcast the 2018 on Tuesday, Oct. 9, starting at 8 p.m. ET live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Details on what the partnership will entail are slim at this point. A rep for DCP said the company will work with YouTube on “creative content to support the show” with more details to follow. Content will be distributed on the AMAs’ official YouTube channel at youtube.com/TheAMAs .
“’s partnership with The American Music Awards is a natural extension of the intimate artist-fan connection that is made possible on YouTube’s global platform,” Angela Courtin, global head of marketing for YouTube Music, TV and originals, said in announcing the pact.
This spring, Google relaunched YouTube Music , available in a free, ad-supported version as well as a premium version without ads for $9.99 per month. It competes head-to-head in the crowded streaming-music category against players including Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited.
For its part, DCP sees the deal as helping get the AMAs in front of YouTube’s massive 1 billion-plus monthly user base. “YouTube brings global reach, awareness and engagement to the American Music Awards unlike ever before,” said Mike Mahan, CEO of Dick Clark Prods. “We look forward to enhancing the AMAs in a unique, innovative and immersive way.”
Unlike with jury-voted awards, the AMAs nominees are selected based on fan interactions including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, social activity and touring. The measurements are tracked by Billboard and data partners including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. For the 2018 awards, the data was compiled between Sept. 15, 2017, and Aug. 9, 2018.
The American Music Awards, first held in 1974 after ABC lost its deal to air the Grammy Awards, bills itself as the world’s largest fan-voted awards show. The AMAs presents awards in pop/rock, alternative rock, country, rap/hip-hop, soul/R&B, adult contemporary, contemporary inspirational, Latin, EDM and soundtrack genres, as well as the categories of artist of the year, new artist of the year, collaboration of the year, tour of the year and video of the year. The AMAs telecast is distributed in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Pictured above: P!nk (l.) and Kelly Clarkson at the 2017 American Music Awards
