Ryan Seacrest to host NBC game show

NBC says Ryan Seacrest will host "The Million Second Quiz," a new live game show the network hopes will become event programming for two weeks in September.

The network said Monday it is constructing a giant hourglass-shaped structure in Manhattan for the game, which will involve contestants testing their trivia skills over a million seconds, or 11 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes and 40 seconds. A contestant leading the game earns $10 per second for sitting in the "money chair," with a potential payoff of millions of dollars.

The show will air for six straight nights starting Sept. 9, then return for four nights starting Sept. 16.

Seacrest is host of "American Idol" on Fox and "New Year's Rockin' Eve" on ABC. He had previously anchored coverage on NBC of the 2012 SummerOlympics in London.

Over the last several years, rumors swirled that NBC executives wanted Seacrest to eventually replace Matt Lauer on the "Today" show.

Seacrest is also busy behind the scenes, as the executive producer of various reality programming, including several shows featuring the Kardashian family.