Report: Amazon may hire Brian Williams to anchor election night stream

Amazon Prime Video is close to finalizing a deal with former NBC and MSNBC anchor Brian Williams to lead election night coverage for the streaming service, CNN’s Brian Stelter reports.

According to sources, Amazon is considering providing its subscribers with a live stream of election results as they come in Nov. 5, 2024.

The venture would be the streamer’s first entry into live news. It’s already signed deals to carry “Thursday Night Football” and concerts. It also produces live streams showcasing products available for sale on its main website.

Despite this foray, sources insist that Amazon is not looking to enter the live news business on a wider basis — but perhaps sees election night as a high-interest event that could attract eyeballs.

Sources told Stelter that Amazon likely sees the high cost of setting up a newsroom as a reason to stray away from building its own news network, but it could potentially spin up temporary news operations to cover the election using a variety of freelancers and other temporary workers. 

It’s also possible Amazon could outsource production of coverage to a broadcast partner, as it has done with some of its other live events, though that possibility was not mentioned in Stelter’s reporting. 

Several upstart and alternative news networks, including Scripps News and Cheddar News, have stumbled lately as they found themselves struggling to find enough ad revenue to sustain operations.

It’s not clear if Amazon’s election stream, if it is offered, would include advertising, though Amazon Prime Video subscribers have been forced into watching ads during most content unless they pony up an additional fee. It’s also not clear if the stream would remain a Prime-exclusive or it might be made available on a wider basis to visitors of Amazon.com in general or on its FAST Freevee. 

Advertisement

Election night’s early November date puts it ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, but it’s possible Amazon could use the coverage, at least in part, as a way to give advertisers a head-start on showcasing gift ideas (in addition to other advertisers possibility running more traditional spots).