Brian Williams signs on to Netflix to host a weekly podcast

Brian Williams, the seasoned erstwhile anchor for NBC News and MSNBC, is joining Netflix wherever helium volition big a play podcast.

Netflix announced Thursday that “We’re Back! With Brian Williams” volition debut aboriginal this year. The format volition diagnostic Williams successful extended interviews with popular civilization figures and newsmakers successful a casual setting.

“With scientists predicting that each American volition person a podcast by 2030, I thought it was clip to get successful the game,” Williams said successful a statement.

Williams - agelong a stalwart of accepted TV quality - volition beryllium the biggest sanction from that arena to articulation a large video streaming platform.

Williams has been disconnected TV since helium departed MSNBC (now MS NOW) successful 2021. He the anchor of the nightly programme “The 11th Hour” and handled large breaking quality sum for the network.

Before joining MSNBC successful 2015, Williams spent 10 years arsenic anchor of “NBC Nightly News.” He near the broadcast aft being suspended for making mendacious statements astir his experiences covering the Iraq war.

Williams tested the streaming waters erstwhile helium anchored extended sum of the statesmanlike predetermination successful 2024 connected Amazon Prime Video. While Amazon was said to beryllium pleased with the program, which earned an Emmy, but the institution has made nary further committedness to unrecorded quality programming.

“We’re Back!” volition apt stress the playful broadside of Williams, who erstwhile hosted “Saturday Night Live” during his NBC years. He occasionally told colleagues helium harbored a tendency to go a precocious nighttime speech amusement big oregon a forum wherever helium could enactment successful a much conversational style.

“After 40 years successful the quality concern whee an in-depth interrogation gets 4 minutes of airtime astatine best, I conscionable privation to person absorbing conversations with creative, funny, smart, talented and consequential radical - similar the shows we each grew up watching and listening to,” helium said. “Netflix is the cleanable home.”

jonathan Wald, a seasoned TV quality enforcement who worked with Williams astatine NBC and MSNBC, volition beryllium the enforcement shaper for “We’re Back!”

Netflix has moved aggressively into the podcast business. Sports columnist Bill Simmons, who helped popularize the format, precocious moved his podcasts to the level successful January arsenic portion of a woody with Spotify. Currently Netflix is carrying 51 video podcasts.