Death of Late Night Television

[The Sultan]

Keeping this non-political...

When I was a kid, my parents watched Carson every night. In fact, I would usually have to get up and go to bed after the monolouge. Like a lot of GenXers, I got into Letterman at first when he did Late Night, was fully on his side when NBC chose Leno, and watched his Late Show for years when he moved to CBS. I stopped watching for awhile, but then got into the Daily Show and the Colbert Report when they were at their absolute peak.

These shows were cultural touchstones. The feuds during the Leno/Letterman and the Leno/Conan sagas were really big deals.

The news over the past week has got me to thinking that man...in just about a decade most of that is gone. Like everything about legacy media, its been losing viewers, losing money, and losing influence rapidly.

[StillAWarrior]

I had a similar experience. My parents watched Carson for years and when I got to Marquette my roommate and I were borderline obsessed with Letterman. We didn't have a TV so we went to the McCormick lobby pretty much every night to watch. I watched Conan and Kimmel off and one for a while but I haven't watched any late late night show in years.

[Jockey]

Agree mostly with Sultan - although i question his statement about finances. there is no way that we can know what they do with the numbers.

Similar to how sports team owners cry poverty even as they are on the ladder picking from their money trees.

[The Sultan]

Agree mostly with Sultan - although i question his statement about finances. there is no way that we can know what they do with the numbers.

Similar to how sports team owners cry poverty even as they are on the ladder picking from their money trees.

You are correct. We know they have been losing viewers as well as influence, but losing money is likely not to be known.

[Pakuni]

Curious, because I genuinely don't know, but does anyone know if the viewership losses in late-night TV generally fallen in line with that of other broadcast programming (sports excluded)?
Some quick Googling doesn't provide much of an answer.

[JWags85]

You are correct. We know they have been losing viewers as well as influence, but losing money is likely not to be known.

I think the changing demo of his viewers has a lot to do with it as well.  I'm trying to find the tweet/article I saw, but early on, one of Colbert's strengths was the younger relative age of his viewer.  Recently the average age has spiked up to 67/68, I believe.  So regardless of exact figures/losses, his show was rapidly becoming less appealing to advertisers.  But again, that's not particularly unique to Colbert.  Same thing happened with Corden a few years ago, another show that had been strong for awhile.

Colbert taking shots at management didn't help, but I think that just expedited/finalized a pending decision rather than being the reason it happened.

I mean, look at SNL, regardless about what you think about its humor/content, for those who enjoy it, what used to be appointment television is now mostly consumed through clips or social media reposts.

[Uncle Rico]

When you have hundreds of viewing options, not counting entertainment options that aren't TV, the math never makes sense with regard to cost and viewership.  Forget late night TV, this applies across the spectrum.

Carson and Letterman also had guests you didn't have access to.  Now you have instant access to any of their guests at your fingertips.  A comedian performing on Carson meant something to see.  A musician performing on Letterman meant something to see.  You can see those performers anywhere now.

[MU82]

Between 10-11 p.m. PT most weeknights, my wife and I click on YouTube and watch Colbert's monologue, Kimmel's monologue and Meyers' Closer Look. So in about a half-hour, we get what we consider to be the best of late-night comedy/talk.

I'm guessing that these 10-minute YouTube clips we watch don't help each show's ratings.

As others said above, there are just so many options and platforms now. The deck is stacked against shows like these. Colbert had the best ratings of them all, so one wonders how much longer the shows of Kimmel, Fallon and Meyers can last.

[The Sultan]

When you have hundreds of viewing options, not counting entertainment options that aren't TV, the math never makes sense with regard to cost and viewership.  Forget late night TV, this applies across the spectrum.

Carson and Letterman also had guests you didn't have access to.  Now you have instant access to any of their guests at your fingertips.  A comedian performing on Carson meant something to see.  A musician performing on Letterman meant something to see.  You can see those performers anywhere now.

Right. Exactly.

But it's just amazing that the entire genre has diminished so quickly. Even when Colbert is done next year, CBS is shutting down the entire franchise.

[Uncle Rico]

Right. Exactly.

But it's just amazing that the entire genre has diminished so quickly. Even when Colbert is done next year, CBS is shutting down the entire franchise.

That's fine.  I blocked CBS because of woke anyway

[JWags85]

Right. Exactly.

But it's just amazing that the entire genre has diminished so quickly. Even when Colbert is done next year, CBS is shutting down the entire franchise.

And I think that's the key.  Its not just "get rid of this guy cause (insert whoever powerful) doesn't like/agree with him", its cutting their losses on the entire premise and programming...which completely speaks to the landscape

[Billy Hoyle]

Right. Exactly.

But it's just amazing that the entire genre has diminished so quickly. Even when Colbert is done next year, CBS is shutting down the entire franchise.

The word is that it costs over $100 million a year to produce the show. That includes Colbert's $15-$20 million a year salary, salaries for a staff of over 200, costs to rent and operate the studio for prime NYC real estate, and other incidental costs. At 170 shows per year, it costs around $500k per show, and they were only bringing in significantly less than that per show. Meanwhile, ratings are low as viewers have so many more options. 2.4 million, a 400k drop from Letterman's last year on the air, 1.4 million fewer than Letterman's ratings in 2010 and nearly 6 million less than what Letterman got in 1994. The average viewer age for Colbert is high - the core demographic CBS wanted when they hired Colbert (18-49) was just over 200k. Late night TV is over. CBS (and the others networks when they cancel their shows) will put in reruns and cheaply made "reality" shows instead.

I rarely missed Letterman in college, but have never watched Colbert on the Late Show. 

[WhiteTrash]

When you have hundreds of viewing options, not counting entertainment options that aren't TV, the math never makes sense with regard to cost and viewership.  Forget late night TV, this applies across the spectrum.

Carson and Letterman also had guests you didn't have access to.  Now you have instant access to any of their guests at your fingertips.  A comedian performing on Carson meant something to see.  A musician performing on Letterman meant something to see.  You can see those performers anywhere now.

Good points. I gave up late night shows 10-15 years ago, about the time I gave up on Sport Center. Also, I did not care for Colbert on CBS, but I'd love a reboot of the Colbert Report.

[muwarrior69]

I was only a kid but I can remember Steve Allen and then Jack Paar hosting the tonight show. I believe Carson took over in the early 60s. Of course I had lots of options living in central Jersey with 11 channels to pick from back then.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

That's fine.  I blocked CBS because of woke anyway

You'll be lovin' Skydance then

[Uncle Rico]

You'll be lovin' Skydance then

I don't know what that is and I am not going to google it.  #TeamMuggsy

[Jay Bee]

The number of Colbert staff is ridiculous

[MU82]

I rarely missed Letterman in college, but have never watched Colbert on the Late Show. 

The Late Show is vastly different from what Letterman's show was (they all are), but Colbert is funny.

[CreightonWarrior]

Late night was toast when it abandoned Conan.

[muwarrior69]

The Late Show is vastly different from what Letterman's show was (they all are), but Colbert is funny.

...but Gutfeld is funnier as the ratings prove.

https://www.tvinsider.com/1202434/late-night-ratings-2025-gutfeld-kimmel-colbert-fallon/

[Shaka Shart]

Was about to say the dentists' offices have Gutfield on these days anyway but to insinuate a dentist working at the office past Martha MacCallum is delusional.

[Uncle Rico]

...but Gutfeld is funnier as the ratings prove.

https://www.tvinsider.com/1202434/late-night-ratings-2025-gutfeld-kimmel-colbert-fallon/

Racists and homophones are thriving in America right now

[MuggsyB]

I don't know what that is and I am not going to google it.  #TeamMuggsy

...but Gutfeld is funnier as the ratings prove.

https://www.tvinsider.com/1202434/late-night-ratings-2025-gutfeld-kimmel-colbert-fallon/
[/quote]

I don't know what that is and I am not going to google it.  #TeamMuggsy

I don't Google things.  Friends send me links or I ask questions. 

[MuggsyB]

I liked Craig Ferguson.

[mu_hilltopper]

This topic can be expanded to all of network TV, minus sports.  It's a total dying industry. 

The average age watching any random "TV channel" is in their 60s.  Those viewers are dying, and the young people are watching Youtube for free, and Netflix for a fraction of Cable/Streaming OTT services. -- Heck, even senior citizens are watching Youtube in increasing numbers.

Network TV is evaporating.