Keith Olbermann Moving to Current TV

It's official: Keith Olbermann is headed to Current TV. The announcement on the Current TV website calls the former MSNBC host a "great provocateur" and says he'll bring his "slashing wit, analytical eye, and distinctive commentary" to a nightly primetime news and commentary show. Olbermann will also be Chief News Officer for the company. His new show starts at an undisclosed date later this year. Insiders had previously told the New York Times that Olbermann, who abruptly left MSNBC last month, would make the move.

He'll also have an equity stake in the channel founded by Al Gore and other independent backers. The five-year-old channel, which is only available in some 60 million homes, consists largely of YouTube-style submissions and would receive a major boost from the presence of Olbermann, whose exit deal from MSNBC requires him to stay off TV for an agreed-upon length of time, believed to be close to six months. In a statement, Olbermann calls Current TV "the model truth-seeking entity" and calls this opportunity "the most exciting venture in my career." (More Keith Olbermann stories.)