Ryan Seacrest to continue hosting New Year's Rockin' Eve

Ryan Seacrest has extended his deal to continue as host and executive producer of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" in New York. Dick Clark Productions said it signed a pact with Seacrest for an unspecified multiyear term. The show will again be broadcast on ABC Dec. 31. Seacrest has been involved with the show since December 2005 when he joined veteran broadcaster Dick Clark for the New Year's Eve special as a co-host. Last year, with Clark's death, Seacrest became the sole host of the show, which dedicated a full 2-hour tribute to Clark, and was the most watched New Year's Eve special in the United States with 22.6 million viewers. "I think I will forever be both sentimental and grateful about my experiences with 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve,'" Seacrest said in a statement Wednesday. "Allen and the DCP team, as well as everyone at ABC are my valued partners in carrying Dick's vision forward. I'm humbled by their continued faith, and excited to work together to create new traditions and fun moments on the show that only live television can deliver." "Ryan and I started this partnership together in 2005. He has been a key factor in the extended and expanded success of the show," said Allen Shapiro, chief executive officer of Dick Clark Productions. "It's very difficult to take over a franchise created by an icon and grow it. Ryan has done just that."