FOX SPORTS TAPS RYAN SEACREST AS "ENTERTAINMENT HOST" FOR SUPER BOWL XLII PREGAME

AMERICAN IDOL and E! News Host Joins Bradshaw, Menefee, Long & Johnson to Anchor Show’s Musical and Entertainment Segments

New York -- Ryan Seacrest, host of FOX’s AMERICAN IDOL, the No. 1 television series in the nation, is set to join the cast of FOX NFL SUNDAY, America’s No. 1 NFL pre-game show, for the biggest day on the sports calendar: Super Bowl Sunday. The announcement was made last evening by David Hill, Chairman, FOX Sports Television Group.

The wildly popular television and radio host has agreed to serve as "entertainment host" for FOX SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, the Super Bowl XLII pregame show. The plan is to utilize Seacrest’s expertise to wrap the entertainment portions of the program, and to interview the numerous celebrities who annually attend the grandest spectacle of American sport. The gridiron fare will of course be thoroughly covered by Terry Bradshaw, Curt Menefee, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson and the Emmy Award-winning FOX NFL SUNDAY studio team.

"The Super Bowl has grown to become a landmark holiday on the American calendar, attracting not only the sports world, but the biggest stars in music and entertainment," said Hill. "Naturally, we’d like our broadcast to reflect that growth, so we’ve expanded our pregame lineup beyond the realm of sports. You’d be hard pressed to find a more talented and popular host on television and radio than Ryan Seacrest and we’re delighted he’ll be joining us for our coverage of SUPER BOWL XLII."

“The Super Bowl is a family tradition that has become an all day holiday event in the US and around the globe," said Seacrest, who in addition to AMERICAN IDOL also hosts E! Network's E! News and his morning radio show on KISS FM in Los Angeles. "It’s bigger than a game and I am thrilled about joining the absolute best sports broadcast team in the world."

FOX Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl XLII begins at 2:OO PM ET on Sunday, February 3 from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The live broadcast marks the network’s fifth Super Bowl presentation. A full lineup of pregame programming will be released at a later date.

Heading into its 14th season, FOX NFL SUNDAY is America's most-watched and highest-rated pregame show on television. Since its premiere in September 1994, the program has won 18 Emmy Awards for its production and personalities including four for Outstanding Studio Show. David Hill and Ed Goren are the Executive Producers of the NFL on FOX. Scott Ackerson is the Coordinating Producer of FOX NFL SUNDAY.