Amazon plots 1st live news special for election night

Amazon is planning to stream its first live news program on Prime Video, hiring former NBC News anchor Brian Williams to host special coverage of election night, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing people familiar with the arrangement.

Williams, 65, hasn’t been on television since 2021, and has spoken with several networks and streaming services about projects.

He led the presidential election night programs in 2008 and 2012 on NBC, and in 2016 and 2020 on cable network MSNBC.

Williams in 2015 had moved to MSNBC after making false remarks about his experiences covering the Iraq war. The scandal cost him the prestigious anchor position at “NBC Nightly News.”

Amazon Prime Video in recent years has made a significant push into live sports programming, streaming “NFL Thursday Night Football.” It also will be the NBA’s streaming platform for the 2025-26 season.

Live news programming could become another way for Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) to boost advertising sales by expanding its inventory of available commercial slots.