Brian Williams’ surprise return to the anchor chair is “imminent,” and the veteran newsman is set to sign a deal with Amazon Prime Video for an Election Night special, a source close to the discussions told the Daily Beast.
Williams, 65, has not anchored a program since he abruptly resigned from NBC in 2021. Now, his surprising return from the television wilderness appears set to take place at Amazon as the e-commerce giant makes its first foray into the breaking news space.
“It’s a reimagining of a traditional election night,” the well-placed source told the Daily Beast, adding that the program would not call the results of the 2024 election, but would include “comprehensive coverage” with access to the same exit polling information as traditional news organizations.
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The Amazon election special, first reported by Dylan Byers of Puck, aims to deliver “a non-partisan discussion of that evening’s events,” according to the insider. Viewers will be able to stream the program which will originate from Amazon MGM Studios in Los Angeles. The live special will begin at 5 p.m. ET with a “pre-game show,” and then cover the election from 6 p.m. till the final results are tallied.
The election special raises the tantalizing prospect of Amazon entering the highly competitive news business, where traditional networks have faced declining ratings and increasing financial pressure.
With more than 200 million Prime subscribers worldwide, Amazon would be able to reach a global audience of desirable consumers. Amazon has already expanded its streaming offerings into sports and entertainment, spending billions on rights for football, basketball, soccer, and cricket, and billions more on original programming, including more than $700 million on its Lord of the Rings streaming series.
But one insider familiar with Amazon's strategy told The Wall Street Journal "the election special shouldn’t be seen as a sign that the company is now looking to have a regular presence in news."
Booking guests and experts for the election special, the Beast's inside source said, is underway, noting that many notable pundits are available because the traditional networks have cut back on contributors.
The broadcast news legend spent 28 years at NBC Universal before leaving in 2021.
Virginia Sherwood/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images“Election night coverage is something that (Williams) has specialized in and loved doing, and the opportunity to do it in a new environment, but with a an eye towards the tradition and the future at the same time, I think he finds appealing,” the source said.
Williams, who spent 28 years at NBC News, was suspended from the #1 rated NBC Nightly News program in 2015 after misrepresenting his coverage of the Iraq war in 2003.
For years, Williams had claimed that he was riding on a Chinook helicopter in Iraq that came under enemy fire and was forced to land in dangerous territory. When Iraq veterans challenged this account, Williams retracted the story and apologized.
After an NBC News internal investigation revealed at least 10 "exaggerations and embellishments" in his accounts of his reporting exploits, Williams was removed from his anchor chair at NBC News and banished to MSNBC.
At the cable network, Williams launched The 11th Hour program and spent five years rebuilding his reputation as a skilled interviewer and breaking news specialist. His coverage of the 2020 presidential election and the Capitol insurrection earned credit with viewers and critics.
Amazon did not respond to a request by the Daily Beast for comment in time for publication.
