Seth MacFarlane has been asked to host next year's Oscars.

The comedian and 'Ted' director is deciding whether to return for next year's 86th Academy Awards after officially being approached to oversee the ceremony, reports Deadline.

MacFarlane is said to be unsure about accepting the role because the hosting job would be a big commitment and the filmmaker is hard at work on his next big screen project, 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' - which is expected to begin filming soon - and pre-production on his sequel to 2012's smash hit comedy caper, 'Ted'.

The actor-and-comedian reportedly dedicated four months of his time prepare for this year's ceremony but isn't sure he could spare enough time for a second stint.

MacFarlane proved to be a controversial host when he presided over the Academy Awards in February and divided opinion with his humour - particularly with his "boob song" skit, which humorously noted actresses who have gone topless on screen.

However, viewership for this year's Oscars was up three per cent over the 2012 ceremony, with 40.3 million viewers watching in the US.

Meanwhile, it was announced last week that producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron - who produced the MacFarlane-fronted Oscars this year - will return for a second year.