Amazon announces Brian Williams-hosted election night coverage special

Amazon Prime Video has signed former NBC and MSNBC anchor Brian Williams to host election night coverage, reuniting him with one of his former producers.

The streamer plans to provide free streaming coverage starting at 5 p.m. eastern on Nov. 5, 2024, for “Election Night Live with Brian Williams.”

Viewers will not be required to be Prime subscribers to view the coverage.

Williams will be joined live by guests including “prominent contributors across news and traditional media,” representing a range of backgrounds and perspectives, to share real-time poll results and commentary while also referencing third-party news sources across all political affiliations, Amazon said.

The streamer aims to produce a show that will meet global viewers where they are, providing a unique, first-stop opportunity to follow the evening’s results in an informative, accessible and non-partisan presentation directly on Prime Video. Guests will be announced in the coming weeks.

“After 41 years in the business — from local news to network shows to cable news — this feels like the next big thing. And the global marketplace of Amazon is a natural home for this first-of-its-kind venture,” said Williams in a statement. “Together, we will follow the storyline on election night wherever it leads us.”

“Prime Video is excited to host Brian Williams for a one-night-only ‘Election Night’ special event. Prime Video provides customers access to programming that delights, informs, and engages, conveniently offered in one centralized app,” said Albert Cheng, VP, head of Prime Video. “This non-partisan live special will draw from major news sources and complement the various partner news channels available on Prime Video. Our comprehensive offering is designed to give today’s viewer a direct and seamless way to keep up with election results.”

The special will feature limited commercial breaks and is slated to run for 10 hours. 

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“Election Night Live” will be produced by White Cherry Entertainment, a New York-based production company that has also produced the Tonys. 

Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, who co-own White Cherry, will produce the broadcast with Jonathan Wald as executive producer and showrunner, and Weiss also serving as director.

Plans call for Amazon to build a one-time use newsroom on an MGM soundstage in the Los Angeles area to serve as a base of operations for the production. 

Weiss has experience producing and directing awards shows in recent years, though he worked for CNN and WTTG early in his career. 

Kirshner has experience working on Super Bowl halftime shows and awards shows, including some alongside Weiss.

While Amazon is billing the coverage as “non-partisan,” Kirshner has ties to several democratic organizations and candidates. He has served as a producer for multiple Democratic National Conventions and an inaugural ball for President Barack Obama as well as a television special for President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Amazon did not specify if Kirshner would have any say in editorial decisions.

Wald will bring a more comprehensive background in producing news programs, having worked for MSNBC and CNN, including serving as senior executive producer on Williams’ “The 11th Hour” until 2022. Since then, he has run WaldCom, a “Media & Communications High-Level Advisory,” according to a LinkedIn profile that appears to be maintained by him, while also serving as executive producer of the digital “The Don Lemon Show.”