
Colbert is latest casualty of late-night TV's fade-out
The announced end of one of the most popular broadcast late-night shows, days after host Stephen Colbert accused the network owner of bribing President Donald Trump to approve a merger, drew cries of political foul play from liberal politicians, artists and entertainers.
"Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late-night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, wrote on X.
CBS executives said dropping the show was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount".
The late-night format has been struggling for years as viewers increasingly migrate to streaming. Younger viewers, in particular, are more apt to find amusement on YouTube or TikTok, leaving smaller, aging TV audiences and declining ad revenues.
Americans used to religiously turn on Johnny Carson or Jay Leno before bed, but nowadays many fans prefer to watch quick clips on social media.
Advertising revenue for Colbert's show has dropped 40 per cent since 2018 - the financial reality that CBS said prompted the decision to end The Late Show in May 2026.
One former TV network executive said the program was a casualty of the fading economics of broadcast television.
Colbert's late-night show rivals Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers both expressed shock over the cancellation.
"I'm just as shocked as everyone," Fallon wrote on Instagram.
"For as great a comedian and host he is, Stephen Colbert is an even better person," Meyers wrote on Instagram.
Fifteen years ago, a popular late-night show like The Tonight Show could earn $US100 million ($A153 million) a year, the executive said. Recently, though, The Late Show has been losing $US40 million ($A61 million) a year, said a person briefed on the matter.
The show's ad revenue plummeted to $US70 million ($A107 million) last year from $US121million ($A185 million) in 2018, according to ad tracking firm Guideline. Ratings for Colbert's show peaked at 3.1 million viewers on average during the 2017-18 season, according to Nielsen data.
For the season that ended in May, the show's audience averaged 1.9 million.
Comedians like Colbert followed their younger audiences online, with the network releasing clips to YouTube or TikTok. But digital advertising did not make up for the lost TV ad revenue, the source with knowledge of the matter said.
But the end came at a politically sensitive time.
Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, is seeking approval from the Federal Communications Commission for an $US8.4 billion ($A12.8 billion) merger with Skydance Media.
This month Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with his 2024 Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris.
Colbert called the payment "a big fat bribe" two days before he was told his show was cancelled.
Late-night television had been fighting for its survival even before The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was cancelled last week.
The announced end of one of the most popular broadcast late-night shows, days after host Stephen Colbert accused the network owner of bribing President Donald Trump to approve a merger, drew cries of political foul play from liberal politicians, artists and entertainers.
"Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late-night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, wrote on X.
CBS executives said dropping the show was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount".
The late-night format has been struggling for years as viewers increasingly migrate to streaming. Younger viewers, in particular, are more apt to find amusement on YouTube or TikTok, leaving smaller, aging TV audiences and declining ad revenues.
Americans used to religiously turn on Johnny Carson or Jay Leno before bed, but nowadays many fans prefer to watch quick clips on social media.
Advertising revenue for Colbert's show has dropped 40 per cent since 2018 - the financial reality that CBS said prompted the decision to end The Late Show in May 2026.
One former TV network executive said the program was a casualty of the fading economics of broadcast television.
Colbert's late-night show rivals Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers both expressed shock over the cancellation.
"I'm just as shocked as everyone," Fallon wrote on Instagram.
"For as great a comedian and host he is, Stephen Colbert is an even better person," Meyers wrote on Instagram.
Fifteen years ago, a popular late-night show like The Tonight Show could earn $US100 million ($A153 million) a year, the executive said. Recently, though, The Late Show has been losing $US40 million ($A61 million) a year, said a person briefed on the matter.
The show's ad revenue plummeted to $US70 million ($A107 million) last year from $US121million ($A185 million) in 2018, according to ad tracking firm Guideline. Ratings for Colbert's show peaked at 3.1 million viewers on average during the 2017-18 season, according to Nielsen data.
For the season that ended in May, the show's audience averaged 1.9 million.
Comedians like Colbert followed their younger audiences online, with the network releasing clips to YouTube or TikTok. But digital advertising did not make up for the lost TV ad revenue, the source with knowledge of the matter said.
But the end came at a politically sensitive time.
Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, is seeking approval from the Federal Communications Commission for an $US8.4 billion ($A12.8 billion) merger with Skydance Media.
This month Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with his 2024 Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris.
Colbert called the payment "a big fat bribe" two days before he was told his show was cancelled.
Late-night television had been fighting for its survival even before The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was cancelled last week.
The announced end of one of the most popular broadcast late-night shows, days after host Stephen Colbert accused the network owner of bribing President Donald Trump to approve a merger, drew cries of political foul play from liberal politicians, artists and entertainers.
"Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late-night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, wrote on X.
CBS executives said dropping the show was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount".
The late-night format has been struggling for years as viewers increasingly migrate to streaming. Younger viewers, in particular, are more apt to find amusement on YouTube or TikTok, leaving smaller, aging TV audiences and declining ad revenues.
Americans used to religiously turn on Johnny Carson or Jay Leno before bed, but nowadays many fans prefer to watch quick clips on social media.
Advertising revenue for Colbert's show has dropped 40 per cent since 2018 - the financial reality that CBS said prompted the decision to end The Late Show in May 2026.
One former TV network executive said the program was a casualty of the fading economics of broadcast television.
Colbert's late-night show rivals Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers both expressed shock over the cancellation.
"I'm just as shocked as everyone," Fallon wrote on Instagram.
"For as great a comedian and host he is, Stephen Colbert is an even better person," Meyers wrote on Instagram.
Fifteen years ago, a popular late-night show like The Tonight Show could earn $US100 million ($A153 million) a year, the executive said. Recently, though, The Late Show has been losing $US40 million ($A61 million) a year, said a person briefed on the matter.
The show's ad revenue plummeted to $US70 million ($A107 million) last year from $US121million ($A185 million) in 2018, according to ad tracking firm Guideline. Ratings for Colbert's show peaked at 3.1 million viewers on average during the 2017-18 season, according to Nielsen data.
For the season that ended in May, the show's audience averaged 1.9 million.
Comedians like Colbert followed their younger audiences online, with the network releasing clips to YouTube or TikTok. But digital advertising did not make up for the lost TV ad revenue, the source with knowledge of the matter said.
But the end came at a politically sensitive time.
Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, is seeking approval from the Federal Communications Commission for an $US8.4 billion ($A12.8 billion) merger with Skydance Media.
This month Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with his 2024 Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris.
Colbert called the payment "a big fat bribe" two days before he was told his show was cancelled.
Late-night television had been fighting for its survival even before The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was cancelled last week.
The announced end of one of the most popular broadcast late-night shows, days after host Stephen Colbert accused the network owner of bribing President Donald Trump to approve a merger, drew cries of political foul play from liberal politicians, artists and entertainers.
"Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late-night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, wrote on X.
CBS executives said dropping the show was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount".
The late-night format has been struggling for years as viewers increasingly migrate to streaming. Younger viewers, in particular, are more apt to find amusement on YouTube or TikTok, leaving smaller, aging TV audiences and declining ad revenues.
Americans used to religiously turn on Johnny Carson or Jay Leno before bed, but nowadays many fans prefer to watch quick clips on social media.
Advertising revenue for Colbert's show has dropped 40 per cent since 2018 - the financial reality that CBS said prompted the decision to end The Late Show in May 2026.
One former TV network executive said the program was a casualty of the fading economics of broadcast television.
Colbert's late-night show rivals Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers both expressed shock over the cancellation.
"I'm just as shocked as everyone," Fallon wrote on Instagram.
"For as great a comedian and host he is, Stephen Colbert is an even better person," Meyers wrote on Instagram.
Fifteen years ago, a popular late-night show like The Tonight Show could earn $US100 million ($A153 million) a year, the executive said. Recently, though, The Late Show has been losing $US40 million ($A61 million) a year, said a person briefed on the matter.
The show's ad revenue plummeted to $US70 million ($A107 million) last year from $US121million ($A185 million) in 2018, according to ad tracking firm Guideline. Ratings for Colbert's show peaked at 3.1 million viewers on average during the 2017-18 season, according to Nielsen data.
For the season that ended in May, the show's audience averaged 1.9 million.
Comedians like Colbert followed their younger audiences online, with the network releasing clips to YouTube or TikTok. But digital advertising did not make up for the lost TV ad revenue, the source with knowledge of the matter said.
But the end came at a politically sensitive time.
Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, is seeking approval from the Federal Communications Commission for an $US8.4 billion ($A12.8 billion) merger with Skydance Media.
This month Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with his 2024 Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris.
Colbert called the payment "a big fat bribe" two days before he was told his show was cancelled.
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Having recently completed a live show tour around Australia, New Zealand and England, Say and Gibbons agreed with Ferrell's assessment that there was no substitute for honing a comedian's craft quite like performing in front of a crowd. However, they argued the nature of social media management meant nowadays comics needed to be a 'jack of all trades'. 'It was an amazing cutting of the teeth moment for us,' Say told NewsWire. 'We learned so much about live audiences, but it feels like now – you hear musicians talk about it as well – not only do you have to 'make the music', but you have to be the advertiser and you have to do all the social media stuff that comes along with it. 'It feels like you almost have to be a jack of all trades and to service each platform with what it requires in order to have a grip in the industry.' Continuing the aspiration of multi-platform mastery, the duo have cracked into the podcast space. It's a dangerous time to make the move. Internet commentators have complained the market is now so over-saturated that the sale of podcasting equipment ought to be restricted or banned. The boys, however, are finding the change of pace a welcome return to the ad lib comedy style of their younger years. 'Speaking for myself, I wasn't a huge podcast guy, so I guess I was always astounded by the amount of podcasts out there that have strong listenership,' Gibbons said. 'Obviously, it's a growing platform and there's people that listen to all kinds of content. And I think rather than talking other people down or focusing on how types of podcasts that don't deserve listeners, get listeners, maybe it's worth acknowledging that there's all kinds of listeners for different types of content and trying to tap into that, appreciate that everyone listens to different stuff and try to make something that can appeal to a lot of people.' Making content that is appealing to a wide spate of people is no easy task in the modern world and it's something that Say and Gibbons have made pains to improve on in recent years. 'We were talking about this earlier today actually. Something we've crystallised since the start of Swag and we're getting closer and closer to is being able to provide content that anyone can listen to,' Say said. 'If you're 15 or 75, we would like to create stuff that anyone can enjoy, anyone can palate. 'While being fresh and interesting is kind of the goal for us, we don't want to exclude any group or person or people from our stuff. 'It's that classic line from when they wrote the Mr. Bean TV show. 'If a joke couldn't be understood by people in Egypt, then it didn't get in'. He's on the extreme level where he didn't even speak, but we're sort of taking a leaf out of that book, which is: Does this allow everyone who can hear and watch our stuff the chance to enjoy it? 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