CMA sets live two-hour Dolly Parton tribute for ABC and Disney+
The Country Music Association will honour Dolly Parton with a live, two-hour tribute on network television.
The show is called “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton.” It will air on 21 Oct. on ABC and Disney+ at the same time, then stream on Hulu the following day, Variety reported.
That pattern gives viewers two ways to watch. The live airing happens in real time on a broadcast channel and a streaming service together. The next-day slot on Hulu is catch-up viewing, for people who miss the live broadcast.
The event will be staged at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville. Robert Deaton will serve as executive producer, the senior role in charge of the creative team and the broadcast itself. He holds the same job on the CMA Awards, the organisation’s annual prizes show.
Parton died in August at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer. The CMA tribute is billed as a celebration of her life in music.
CMA and Belmont University will donate a portion of proceeds from the event to Parton’s Imagination Library. The announcement did not name any performers.
ABC has already marked her death once on air. Its news programme “20/20” carried a tribute edition titled “Dolly Parton: An American Original.” It aired at 10 p.m. on ABC and was then made available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+, according to WATE. That edition was anchored by David Muir and featured tributes to Parton, ABC News reported.
For fans, this means two different kinds of remembrance. The “20/20” hour told her story in interviews and archive. The CMA night will do it on stage, in front of an audience, live.
