Ryan Seacrest Will Host NBC's 2016 Rio Olympics Late-Night Coverage

Ryan Seacrest announced Wednesday on Twitter he will be hosting the late-night coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics for NBC.  

He posted more details about the decision as well:

Seacrest has prior experience covering the Olympics, as he served as a correspondent for the 2012 London Games for NBC and also co-hosted the closing ceremony.  

“Joining the NBC Olympics team at the 2012 London Games was an exhilarating experience,” Seacrest said in a release, per Deadline. “I appreciate [NBC Olympics Executive Producer] Jim Bell’s confidence, along with everyone at NBC Sports. I can’t wait to reunite with the team of broadcasters and producers for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and I look forward to hosting the live late night show.”

The news was met with some vitriol among those in sports media, however. Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch didn't pull any punches:

While Seacrest doesn't bring the legacy of Bob Costas or the journalistic chops of Mary Carillo, he's accustomed to hosting big events and will be doing the late-night coverage, which is often more focused on interviews and feature pieces. The late-night coverage may have a different tone than it's had in years past with Seacrest at the helm, but NBC clearly feels it will be appropriate to their coverage at this year's event.