Regis Philbin Returns to TV as Host of Fox Sports Show 'Crowd Goes Wild'

Two years after leaving his daily gig as co-host on "Live With Regis and Kelly," Regis Philbin is back!

The 81-year-old TV talent announced he will be the host of a new round table sports show called "Crowd Goes Wild," set to premiere next month. The show will air weekdays at 5 p.m. on Fox Sports 1, a new cable network that Fox execs hope will become a serious competitor to ESPN.

"I'm happy to be a part of sports TV," Philbin told the New York Post. "If you look at the ratings, that's what's on top. Sports is the biggest hit TV has these days. It's all there on the field, pal."

Philbin said his new show will bring something different to the world of sports television and describes it as having a sports entertainment focus instead of a sports news focus.

"If a celebrity like George Clooney comes to town with a movie, we'll play clips from his movie - but we'll also talk to George, who grew up in Cincinnati, about his sports roots, like if he's still a big Reds fan," he said.

Philbin will serve as the moderator on "Crowd Goes Wild's" six-person panel. While none of the other co-hosts have been confirmed, Philbin did reveal that one of them is an ex-NFL player.

"We've got a nice little panel of people together, a lot of friends," he said of the cast.

This is Philbin's first daily TV venture since exiting "Live with Regis and Kelly," after 28 years as host in November of 2011. He was also well known for hosting the first seasons of the popular quiz show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."

"I kind of enjoyed it, though I don't know how much [wife] Joy enjoyed it," he said of his two-year break. "There were times when I would get a little antsy, when I wondered what I could or should be doing.

"I really can't think of anything that came close; I didn't pursue anything vigorously," he added, talking about TV offers that came his way during his hiatus. "Whatever came up, came up. Either it just didn't work out or I backed away, but this was the one that got my attention."

You can catch Philbin's return to television when "Crowd Goes Wild" premieres on Aug. 19.