Kennedy Center Honors to remain on CBS until '18

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Washington's annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony is to air on CBS through 2018, the network announced Thursday.

CBS has broadcast the event as a TV special each year since its debut in 1978.

"The Kennedy Center Honors continues to be one of the most prestigious broadcasts on all of television, and we are honored to be its host," Leslie Moonves, president and chief executive officer of CBS, said in a statement. "It is a unique event that reinforces our country's collective appreciation for the performing arts with tremendous class, style and, yes, entertainment. We are proud to join forces with the Kennedy Center and our friends in Washington to continue presenting this annual event."

"We are pleased to renew this commitment with CBS," Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein said. "Every year, the broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors brings millions of arts lovers into the nation's center for the performing arts. We value and respect the strong commitment of Leslie Moonves and CBS to the performing arts and look forward to honoring the best of the arts in America."

Seated with the president and first lady, the Kennedy Center honorees are recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.