Country Music Channel
| Company type | Cable and satellite television channel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting, Music |
| Fate | Discontinued June 2020; relaunched July 2025 |
| Successor | CMT (regional iteration operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia) |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Country music videos, music programming, live events |
| Owner | Foxtel Networks |
| Parent | Foxtel Networks |
Country Music Channel (CMC) was an Australian cable and satellite television channel dedicated to country music videos, owned by Foxtel Networks. It stood as Australia's exclusive channel for country music videos following the departure of MusicCountry from the industry.
In June 2020, CMC discontinued its broadcast and was succeeded by a regional iteration of CMT, operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. Later, in July 2025, CMC made a comeback alongside Max through a collaboration between Foxtel and NightLife Australia, marking a resurgence of Foxtel's music channels.
Programming during the CMC period
- The CMC Top 30 Countdown – a weekly chart based on airplay
- Spotlight – hour-long compilations focusing on individual artists
- 30 Best – countdowns organized around specific themes
- Headline Country
- The Wilkinsons (TV series)
- Tuckerville
- Rollin' With... – artist profile series presented by Steve Forde, showcasing performers including Lee Kernaghan, Catherine Britt, Adam Brand, Troy Cassar-Daley, Joe Nichols, Dierks Bentley, Corb Lund Band, Blaine Larsen, Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, Colt Ford, and The Wilkinsons
- Muster Masters – a quiz show themed around the Gympie Muster event (2009)
Featured Artists
- Steve Forde (Rollin' With...)
- The Sunny Cowgirls (Muster Masters, CMC Rocks the Hunter)
- Morgan Evans
Live Music Events
CMC collaborated with Rob Potts Entertainment Edge and Michael Chugg Entertainment to co-produce the three-day festival known as CMC Rocks.
- The festival was initially hosted in Thredbo for its first three years.
- The 2008 lineup featured artists such as Mia Dyson, Brian Cadd, John Butler Trio, Shea Fisher, The McClymonts, Jim Lauderdale, Catherine Britt, Steve Forde, Adam Harvey, Shannon Noll, Sugarland, Gary Allan, and Patty Griffin.
- In 2009, performers included Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans, Steve Forde, Captain Flange, Taylor Swift, Joe Nichols, Old Crow Medicine Show, John Williamson, Pete Murray, The Waifs, The Sunny Cowgirls, Ash Grunwald, The Audreys, Jasmine Rae, and Deana Carter.
- The 2010 event showcased artists like Adam Harvey, Nanci Griffith, Tania Kernaghan, Steve Forde, Phil Vassar, Jack Ingram, and Lee Kernaghan.
- From 2011 onward, the festival relocated to the Hunter Valley in New South Wales and included acts such as Troy Cassar-Daley, Russell Morris, Alan Jackson, Joe Nichols, Emerson Drive, and Dean Brody.
Together with its parent company Foxtel, CMC also organized the live-broadcast CMC Awards, held on the evening preceding the official start of CMC Rocks.