Commentary

Late-Night Talk Shows Spike More Ad Interest --- And Reruns

Wondering how the late-night talk show scene  will shake out come September -- when Stephen Colbert starts on CBS’s “The Late Show”?  

Soon adding to the mix will be reruns of the “The Tonight Show” starring Johnny Carson,  to air on Tribune Broadcasting’s Antenna TV, starting Jan. 1, 2016. Antenna TV is in 78% of U.S. TV homes -- 102 markets including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Ever since he came aboard a year and a half ago, Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” has dominated ratings, now averaging a Nielsen 3.8 million total viewers to ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” at 2.6 million, and (when it was still running) CBS’ “Late Show” at 2.5 million viewers.

TV advertisers have followed --- big time -- as well as sharply higher cost per thousand viewer prices (CPMs). Still, the resulting CPMs are lower than that of prime time -- and you get decent 18-49 ratings as compared to that of prime time. A deal, for sure, for the right marketers.

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No surprise then that other TV platforms are looking to make hay. Not to be left out -- cable networks are still in the hunt.

Antenna TV specializes in vintage programming -- as many of the so-called local multicast networks do. Perhaps reruns of Jay Leno as host of the “Tonight Show” will come back as well. And, for the hardcore, maybe Conan O’Brien's brief stint as host of “Tonight” will find its way back as well.

You can never have enough late-night monologues.

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