Ryan Seacrest to end red carpet hosting?

Megastar Ryan Seacrest, worth $61m annually, is expect to re-sign with American Idol but part ways with NBCUniversal, which would see him conclude his many E! Red Carpet hosting at US awards shows.

But he is tipped to stay with FOX’s American Idol for two more years, saying he “couldn’t imagine life without Idol.”  Producers and executives alike have referred to him publicly as the “glue” that holds the show together.

The Hollywood Reporter notes he is in talks with longtime radio partner Clear Channel about taking on an increased role to help build out more multiplatform programming with Clear Channel and the iHeart brand that he would host and produce via his Ryan Seacrest Productions. 

His NBCU deal expired at the end of March, and while talks continue about some producing and hosting, he has signaled that he’d like to move on, as NBCU hasn’t been able to offer the kind of sizable platform he’s after.

Seacrest is also said to be fielding interest from other networks, such as ABC, but his production company could continue selling specials to NBCU.

Ryan Seacrest Productions has produced E!’s Kardashian franchise along with Bravo’s Shahs of Sunset, E!’s Married to Jonas, plus the upcoming I Wanna Marry Harry.