Brian Williams is preparing for a surprise return to the Amazon anchor chair on election night

Brian Williams' surprise return to the anchor chair has become “imminent” as a source close to the discussions told The Daily Beast that the veteran journalist is set to sign a deal with Amazon Prime Video for an election night special.

Williams, 65, has not hosted an on-air show since abruptly resigning from NBC in 2021. Now, it looks like his surprise return from TV life will take place at Amazon as the streaming giant makes its first foray into breaking news. . .

“It's a reimagining of the traditional election night,” the insider told The Daily Beast, adding that the show will not call out the results of the 2024 election, but will include “comprehensive coverage” and have access to the same information as traditional news organizations.

Amazon Elections Special Report, first reported by Dylan Byers From Puck, it aims to provide a “nonpartisan discussion of the events of that evening,” according to the insider. Viewers will be able to stream the show, which will originate from Amazon MGM Studios in Los Angeles. The live special will begin at 5 PM ET with a “pre-game show” and then election coverage from 6 PM until the final results are tallied.

The election special raises the tantalizing prospect of Amazon entering the highly competitive world of news, where traditional networks have faced declining ratings and increasing financial pressures.

With more than 200 million Prime subscribers worldwide, Amazon will instantly be able to reach a global audience of desirable consumers. Amazon has already expanded its streaming offerings to include sports and entertainment, spending billions on the rights to football, basketball, football and cricket matches and billions more on original programming, including more than $700 million in revenue. Lord of the Rings Flow series.

Booking of guests and experts for Amazon's special election is underway, the inside source said, noting that there are several prominent pundits available to participate because traditional networks have cut back on contributors.

“Covering Election Night is something (Williams) specializes in and loves doing, and the opportunity to do it in a new environment, but focusing on tradition and the future at the same time, I think he finds attractive,” the source said.

Williams, who spent 28 years at NBC News, was suspended from the No. 1 ranking NBC Nightly News program in 2015 after distorting its coverage of the Iraq War in 2003.

Over the years, Williams has claimed to have been flying a Chinook helicopter in Iraq that came under enemy fire and had to land in a dangerous area. When Iraq war veterans challenged this narrative, Williams retracted the story and apologized.

After an internal investigation by NBC News revealed a series of errors in other accounts of news events, Williams was removed from his anchor chair at NBC News and exiled to MSNBC.

On the cable network, Williams fired 11 o'clock program and spent five years rebuilding his reputation as a skilled interviewer and specialist in breaking news. His coverage of the 2020 presidential election and the Capitol insurrection has won acclaim from viewers and critics.

Amazon did not respond to The Daily Beast's request for comment at the time of publication.