New Deal Keeps Ryan Seacrest On "New Year's Rockin' Eve"

Ryan Seacrest has inked a new deal to continue fronting the network's long-running ball-drop special, New Year's Rockin' Eve, for four more years.

The pact also keeps Seacrest within the Disney fold as industry rumors swirl that he could be a contender for Michael Strahan's slot on ABC's Live! With Kelly and Michael, though ABC brass is said to be waiting for the dust to settle before making any decisions about a replacement.

Seacrest, Ripa

According to The Hollywood Reporter, insiders point to Seacrest's proven skill set as a morning host (albeit on the radio) as well as his rapport with Ripa. (He has been a frequent guest on Live!, and together he and Ripa have co-hosted the Disney parade for ABC.) What's more, for the first time in 15 years, the former American Idol emcee's schedule has eased up considerably.

To be sure, a New York-based a.m. talk show would require a major logistical reshuffling, as Seacrest currently fronts a multi-hour daily KIIS 102.7 FM radio show in LA. He also has a series of other high-profile commitments, including hosting duties for red-carpet specials on E! and a late-night live show at the Summer Olympics in Rio for NBC. He has a collection of scripted (Shades of Blue) and unscripted (Keeping Up With the Kardashians) shows that he produces through his eponymous Ryan Seacrest Productions as well.

As for his long-standing role at ABC, Rockin' Eve currently is the priority. The news of him re-upping comes some two years after Dick Clark Productions and ABC extended its deal to broadcast the special, which regularly beats its time-slot competition, for another 10 years. The net's 2015 coverage reached nearly 60 million viewers over the course of the night, up 16 percent from a year earlier. Among the coveted 18-49 demo, the special, which featured 38 musical performances, was up 19 percent.