Brian Williams In Talks With Amazon to Host A Prime Video Election Night Program

Former NBC News anchor Brian Williams is in talks to cover the presidential election results for Amazon’s Prime Video.

According to multiple reports, Williams is in talks with executives at Amazon to host the streaming platform’s first attempt at a live news coverage. In recent years, Prime Video has broken into sports live-broadcasting by offering live access to the NFL and NBA games.

Williams has not been on television since 2021 after announcing he was leaving NBC News and MSNBC after 28 years. The veteran news anchor previously led NBC’s presidential election nigh coverage in 2008 and 2012 as well as MSNBC’s program in 2016 and 2020.

According to LA Times, the potential election night program would be a one-time-only event and not a move by Amazon to expand permanently into the TV news business.

The program would reportedly rely on state-by-state calls from the Associated Press and would not have it’s own decision desk to analyze data and names winners.

Per the LA Times:

Prime Video’s election coverage will originate from Amazon’s studio in Culver City and start streaming live starting an hour before the polls close Nov. 5. The plan is to keep Williams on the stream until a winner is called, although there is a possibility of a close race that could take several days to sort out.

Prime Video does not have its own news operation. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post, but the newspaper would not be formally involved in the project. Jonathan Wald, a veteran TV news producer and executive who worked closely with Williams at NBC, would oversee the production.

Have a tip for us? tips@mediaite.com