Kimmel, Fallon & Byron Allen Ratings Revealed: How Is CBS Doing Without Colbert?
What To Know
- Since Stephen Colbert’s departure, CBS’s replacement show Comics Unleashed has seen a 65% drop in total viewers compared to The Late Show.
- Rival late-night programs on ABC and NBC saw significant ratings increases this week.
- Despite the ratings decline, CBS is not concerned because Comics Unleashed operates under a “time buy” model.
CBS just got a nasty wakeup call. The network has a long way to go to match the numbers Stephen Colbert was bringing in with The Late Show, which aired its final-ever episode on May 24 following its shocking cancellation.
This past Monday (June 1) offered a clearer picture of the new landscape of late-night, as both ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon returned with new episodes for the first time since Colbert said his final farewell.
Kimmel’s show benefited the most, dominating in the 11:35 pm time slot with 2.185 million total viewers and 295,000 viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic, per Nielsen figures. Compared to the same period last year, the show was up 53 percent in total viewers and up a massive 178 percent in the key demo.
The Tonight Show was also up year-over-year, averaging 1.301 million total viewers and 194,000 demo viewers. This was an increase of 10 percent in total viewers and 14 percent in the demo.
But what about CBS? Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed, the show which replaced The Late Show, drew 628,000 total viewers and 82,000 demo viewers on Monday. Compared to the same time slot occupied by Colbert last year, the show was down 65 percent in total viewers.
The numbers are unlikely to be a concern for CBS under Comics Unleashed‘s “time buy” model. Allen’s company, Allen Media Group, is paying CBS for the time slot and covering all production expenses. Allen Media Group is selling its own commercial space, meaning it’s not CBS which is beholden to ratings.
“We’re proud to partner with Byron Allen on a new business and programming model for late night that proactively addresses a network daypart that was cost prohibitive to continue,” a CBS spokesperson previously told Variety. “With this ‘time buy’ model, we have shifted an hour that was losing roughly $40 million annually to $15 million in profit — a $55 million swing.”
Last July, CBS announced it was axing The Late Show for financial reasons, claiming the show lost $40 million annually. At the time, some critics argued the move was politically motivated, with parent company Paramount hoping to appease President Trump amid its merger with Skydance, which required government approval.
Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen, weeknights at 11:35 a.m. ET, CBS
Conversation42 Comments
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O
CBS has lost all credibility …… won’t watch anymore
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G
I really hope CBS looses their shirt over all. This whole Byron Allen thing will not work at all but I sincerely doubt that they will ever admit it
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A
CBS lost my viewership. Byron Allen‘s show has comedians that aren’t even funny. What a shame.
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T
Allen is arrogant and not funny so it makes sense his show isn’t either.
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H
Paramount+ is going to go as well. There’s no reason for me to pay for that when I can catch those shows on network TV if I needed to in reruns or dvr
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M
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me."
German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller
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M
CBS is the poster-child for what fascism is today. I refuse CBS in the same manner I refuse to let FOX darken my world.
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L
The numbers are unlikely to be a concern for CBS...." OK, maybe; but only if the time-buy continues, which it may not if Allen can't keep attracting enough advertisers to warrant his (and/or anyone else's) paying for that "new" earlier slot. The real question is: How many viewers of the lead-in news and myriad other shows have CBS's actions (including the gutting of "60 Minutes") cost it? Have other, especially prime-time, shows also been adversely affected over time (ditto Paramount & MTV), 'cuz that would really mean a financial hit ... one CBS probably thought it could avoid by stretching its dump of/on Colbert out over months, thus avoiding the kind of immediate and concerted backlash ABC got from unexpectedly taking Kimmel off the air. (The fact that ABC quickly responded to viewers & reversed course is probably contributing to Kimmel's picking up so many of Colbert's viewers.)
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S
I enjoyed watching Colbert and 60 Minutes previously. But now with the new unqualified management and Bari Weiss - along with the suppression of honest journalism, restraints on the freedom of speech, and ties to the shenanigans of the president - I will not watch CBS!!
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J
In addition to steaming views, the "loss" under Colbert failed to account for guests promoting their projects (like Paramount movies and other CBS shows and soon Warner Bros films). Allen will not do that. Big mistake -- HUGE.
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A
Nah.
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M
First Colbert and now 60 Minutes. CBS is crashing.
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🌙
The fact that Byron Allen has to say out loud that he’s a billionaire and basically is saying he doesn’t care what people think of his show tells you what little self-esteem he has of himself.. sad..!
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A
I'm predicting Kimmel will stay on the air until Trump's final term (no way he's going to fix it so he can run for a third) is finally over!
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E
But what do the affiliates think? How does this affect their morning show carryover, or their overnight night views?
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B
What happened to ratings? Colbert was the leader in terms of ratings, let CBS let him go. Was this solely due to politics???
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M
I have informed CBS that henceforth I will no longer watch any news programs or network programs that originate from them. I have been a loyal and faithful supporter of CBS for at least six decades, but no longer. Their spineless disregard for journalists integrity and their decisions to cave in to Donald Trump’s blatant lies, racism, and self-serving behavior have reduced my interest in that network to ZERO !!!
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A
fire weiss
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T
They had 2.1 million watching CBS every night where they were plugging CBS shows, Paramount movies and Paramount plus streaming. They lost 60% of those viewers.
Probably not the best move.
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C
Wonder what Paramount+ thinks of that. Lots of cancellations there as well!
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S
I've been watching comics unleashed forever. I love comedy as an art form and I dont expect continuous laughs but more of an admiration for the craft. Watching it reminds me of when I was a kid at my grandparents house watching Lawrence Welk and various gameshows and enjoying innocent entertainment....I need that much more than snarky doomsday political commentary at bedtime every night, yikes!! colbert is brilliant but there is a place and a time.
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S
Does anyone know if their general viewership is down ? I really like their evening line up but won ‘t watch CBS now.
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R
I hadn't thought of that, and you're absolutely right. A night with Colbert could elevate a band tour, book tour, or an actor and the opening night of a new movie. But a night with what's his name is never ever gonna do that.
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T
how are they realizing that when their audience went from 2.1 million down to 665K?
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B
CBS is winning the race to the Independents. As more Woke contracts expire, they will replace them with those who don't add their own personal adjectives to every story. Let the story speak for itself. Colbert was funny on Comedy Central when he was slamming everybody, when he went to CBS and wouldn't slam Liberals, he was horrible, half the material and you heard it on every channel.
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G
You don't have to be a Brain Scientist to know you made a HUGE MISTAKE CBS!!! With Cable...there are SOOO many other stations! Byeeeeeeeeee
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D
I don’t believe that for a minute. You think cbs was losing money with Colbert, just wait. You haven’t seen nothing yet!!
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J
Jimmy Kimmel isn't that good; Jimmy Fallon is a fun guy; I miss Colbert, I miss Trevor Noah.
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R
One doesn't need a third term if you end elections. Watch for that.
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R
Now you're just making sounds.
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T
is it another one of those shows where the jokes are already written in advance and they sit there trying to make it look like it's off-the-cuff?
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J
Comics unleashed can follow nate bargatze or bill Maher & put people to sleep
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P
I agree,karma is showing up lately
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S
I stopped watching Tracker and Elsbeth and Ghosts and all other CBS shows.I have shifted to NBC
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D
Me too. And, I loved all those shows as well. But I am boycotting cbs. They did a very stupid thing letting Colbert go!
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C
They were already loosing their shirt with Colbert. Hatred does not sell. Kimmel next
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Y
Kimmel is doing great
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L
The time slot is finally profitable!!
Colbert lost them sooo much money.
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A
Wow !! This is So fair as Allen has had a show in this time frame on this network for So long. Right. 🙄
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B
Its big news now because of the politics and the lefts hate for the right, but in a few months no one will care. Nobody cares about live late-night tv anymore. We all got streaming services so we dont have to watch the live crap the networks put out
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A
Yep. Agree. The only reason these shows had an audience was it was a full blown Trump bashing session. Very little to No humor outside of appeasing the leftists Hate of Trump with what They call humor. Well News Flash these networks are beginning to realize that the U.S. is not All liberal left ! Independents as well as conservatives are probably sick of the non-stop Trump bashing calling it “humor”. They want some Non-political humor for a change
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G
We watch them on streaming and the monologues on YouTube.
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