CBS has called off the search for a new chief executive and extended the contract of its interim chief, Joseph Ianniello, through the end of the year, the company announced on Tuesday.

CBS had been on the hunt for a permanent chief executive since September, when Leslie Moonves was ousted from the job after more than a dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations.

Mr. Ianniello, formerly the chief operating officer at CBS, became the acting chief executive upon Mr. Moonves’s departure. The company hired a search firm, Korn Ferry, to find other candidates, but after six months it hadn’t turned up a permanent successor.

A provision in Mr. Ianniello’s contract would have allowed him to leave the company by June 30 if CBS did not intend to give him the top job. Rather than risk losing its acting chief, the CBS Corporation’s board of directors extended his deal, citing his strong record.