As the results of Election Night 2024 became known, Brian Williams looked to the future. ”Our country is about to change again,” he told viewers of a news special he was hosting on Amazon Prime Video, with a diorama of a highway lane placed behind him. “And life, of course, goes on. Hell, my next gig is to emcee our firehouse annual dinner on Saturday night in New Jersey, my hand to God.”
Williams and others like him may have more to look forward to than hosting community potlucks.
Amazon has been holding exploratory talks about possible news concepts, according to four people familiar with the matter, a sign that the streaming and e-commerce giant sees a chance for news to bolster its economics, even as traditional players in the space are grappling with tougher times. CNN, ABC News, CBS News and NBC News have all cut staff in recent months, and many of them have been parting ways over the same period with respected veteran anchors, such as Chris Wallace and Hoda Kotb.
Amazon was not able to make executives available for comment.
Still, its recent foray into the category has given the company some encouragement, these people said. Williams’ Election Night special is said to have reached around 4 million viewers, according to two of these people — not as good as most of the pack, but still better than CBS News, which drew an average audience of about 3.61 million in primetime, or the Fox broadcast network, which drew 2 million between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Fox News’ primetime Election Night coverage drew an average of 10.32 million viewers, while MSNBC’s lured an average of 6.01 million, according to Nielsen. ABC News captured around 5.9 million, while NBC’s average audience stood at 5.51 million viewers, followed by 5.1 million for CNN
Amazon did not promote the Williams special outside its own media and officially announced it on October 17 — only three weeks prior to the final showdown between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump.
Amazon’s plans — they are characterized as “very early” by one of the people familiar with them — surface as some traditional news outlets are having new trouble attracting their usual crowds. Both MSNBC and CNN have seen their viewership drop since the election. Meanwhile, about 20% of Americans — and 37% of those under 30 — say they regularly get news from influencers on social media, according to a November research report from Pew Research Center.
People familiar with Amazon’s process say its interest lies in news specials tied to particular events, and not in bootstrapping its own news division. Like Williams’ special, the programs are expected to be “down the middle of the road,” two people say, and take pains to avoid bias. Instead of asking someone why young people are leaving one political party for another, says one of these people, an anchor might instead solicit responses on what one political party is doing to attract that demographic.
Albert Cheng, who leads efforts to grow Prime Video’s U.S. operations, is said to be examining the viability of news programming. Cheng was previously chief operating officer of Amazon Studios, and, prior to that, helped build digital media in senior roles at Disney’s ABC TV business.
If Amazon’s news model were to take off, it would be a novel one. Amazon seems likely to embrace news on a project-by-project basis, says one of the people with knowledge of some of its plans, which means it probably would not have to set up longer-term contracts with news anchors and contributors.
Indeed, that’s sort of the way Amazon has tackled the sports business. Many of the sportscasters who are associated with “Thursday Night Football,” for example, have jobs with other media companies. Al Michaels still works for NBC Sports, while Kirk Herbstreit is well established at ESPN. Amazon struck a deal in 2023 to share NASCAR rights and employs star racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. — who works concurrently for Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports.
Amazon has plenty of news talent from which to choose. Williams’ special was stuffed with correspondents and contributors who earned their fame elsewhere, including Shepard Smith, Poppy Harlow, James Carville, Candy Crowley, Don Lemon, Abby Huntsman, Jessica Yellin, Mark McKinnon, Douglas Brinkley and Lydia Moynihan — among others. One of the people familiar with its plans says that economic pressures at established TV-news outlets have created a surplus of people well-known to potential audiences, and notes these personalities are interested and available.
Amazon has other reasons for delving into news, these people say. While it has no endemic news operation, it does offer a wide array of live-streaming news channels from both national and local outlets — a potential lure for information aficionados and news junkies who are increasingly open to going to non-traditional digital outlets for their first hit of facts tied to a developing story. According to Pew Research Center, 58% of Americans say they prefer to get news via a digital device, higher than the 32% who prefer traditional TV.
One of the first things promoted in the first commercial break during Williams’ special was Amazon’s live-streamed news offerings. Consumers who use Amazon Fire sometimes see promotions for news coverage, telling them they can find out more about a trending story by clicking through to Amazon’s array of options.
Perhaps Williams will surface in that content carousel in the not-too-distant future. A representative for the anchor declined to comment.
