The networks aren’t going to let affiliates dictate their network programming. Especially not like this.
There are rules around preempting network programming. Because the affiliate owner doesn’t like a show isn’t one of the reasons.
This may fly for a little while but ultimately ABC have the upper hand and I suspect this will be addressed more clearly when the affiliate agreement is up for renewal.
rumours are that if they don’t air Kimmell, they will lose monday night football and the revenue that comes from that
Nexstar would just tell them to shove it and affilate their ABC stations with the CW.
Sinclair would be a different story.
Nextar already own a lot of CW stations, they’d just lose the affiliation and a lot of money in the process.
Includes Qs and As:
Very interesting to see how all Tegna/Nexstar/Sinclair affiliates opted out. Some aren’t showing anything, some are showing repeats, one is even doing a WIN television and showing stock videos… A couple forgot to opt out too and just cut midway through his monologue.
Said monologue is up. Also, I thought Tegna was carrying it?
The Tegna people want the buyout from Nexstar to go through. So they are getting in on the act and opting out too.
Bottom left corner of mine was KIII, which should still be Tegna owned (until the Nexstar buyout is completed).
Are you sure that’s not their internet feed 3News+? Cause I can’t see any reports of TEGNA dumping it. In fact, here’s a tweet showing their WNEP 16 Scranton PA running it. Comments on Reddit say WZZM 13 Grand Rapids MI and KVUE 24 Austin TX ran it as well
Very odd that some are choosing not to take it then.
Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue on Kimmel’s return featured a surprise mention about our ABC getting flooded with complaints… hear his reaction to this lol! 
Jimmy Kimmel Live drew 6.26M viewers on Tuesday night, per early live + same-day Nielsen data.
Consider that JKL averaged about 1.77M viewers in live + seven-day data in the second quarter of 2025, illustrating just how much the week-long debacle over Kimmel’s comments last week about Charlie Kirk’s shooter drew national interest. The early data also doesn’t include streaming, so the total audience for Tuesday’s episode will likely increase once all is said and done.
It’s also worth noting that, given Nexstar and Sinclair are still preempting Kimmel, the episode was not even available in many major markets representing about 23% of U.S. households.
Among adults 18-49, the episode earned a 0.87 rating, which is the highest for a regularly scheduled episode in more than 10 years.
Disney adds that, in addition to linear viewership, the opening monologue alone has garnered more than 26M views across YouTube and social platforms.
Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue has attracted 15.8 million views on YouTube as I post this (8.30am AEST).
What happened in 2012/2013 to make it increase like that?
Leno retired also every bloody show has decreased like that on network TV. Dumb graphic.
It moved from 12.05 (after Nightline) to 11.35, with Nightline moving to 12.35.
