US Late Night Shows

Television Subscription and International
41

CBS/Paramount.

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Stewart acknowledged that late night TV as a whole may be a relic from a bygone era, likening it to “operating a Blockbuster kiosk inside of a Tower Records.” But he raised an skeptical eyebrow to the idea that Late Show’s cancellation was a “purely financial” decision by CBS, instead labeling it “the path of least resistance” to securing CBS parent company Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance Media with the approval of Donald Trump, aka “a fragile and vengeful President so insecure” and “suffering terribly from a case of chronic penis insufficiency.”

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44

Starts at 16:35

Colbert’s Monday monologue.

Jimmy Fallon

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45

People are not happy about the news of Stephen Colbert’s axing, now taking to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City and holding protests.

Around 130,000 signatures have been received in a petition which is to go directly to CBS to try and get them to reverse the decision to axe the top-rating show.

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47

It’s gone, the numbers aren’t there. They can use that money to support their shrinking bottom line.

48

I’ve always wondered why they can’t downsize the production - like ditching the big Central NY Theatre and just doing it out of a regular TV Studio like the other shows

If they wanted to keep it, there was fat to trim.

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Yes they could cut the music and other parts, if the parties were interested in that kind of compromise, but we have also seen CBS relinquish the timeslot after it already, clearly this is just a continuation of that strategy of leaving late night altogether. If they can’t make it work in the US, then really there is no chance.

Colbert himself must still be making over $10 million a year then the massive staff numbers these shows I believe still have I would gather. Plenty of savings when the gold mine isn’t there anymore.

With linear broadcasters on the way down across the globe, this means less money also coming in from syndication as audiences continue to migrate online which makes it difficult to sustain industry in the way we have been used to.

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Yeah, this doesn’t look like 1930s Germany at all.

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53

What if they brought him out here to host a new Midday show, which could also be televised in the US as a late night show?

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Love the idea, can’t see it happening.

If you mean CBS making it here for 10 and for CBS - then no. I can’t see Paramount holding onto Ten for long TBH.

If you mean someone else bringing it into the US and having a local partner, not really. If you’re relying on the syndication market to sell the show, then you might be out of luck. A lot of the station groups want Trump-led de-regulation of the FCC’s station ownership rules - you can’t hurt the Orange Hitler’s fragile ego. :rofl:

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He also doesn’t believe that the decision was “purely financial,” as CBS emphasized in a statement, and that The Late Show was losing money: “They’ve given [Colbert] another 10 months, that’s another huge chunk of money they’re gonna lose, according to them.”

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The entire Colbert situation has been a product of CBS’s own making from start to finish. They brought him over from Comedy Central purely on the strength of The Colbert Report’s success, yet denied him the creative freedom to showcase the very talents that made him such a standout in the first place. What was billed as “his” version of The Late Show quickly became something else entirely—constrained, rebranded, and stripped of the distinctive voice that led to his hiring.

In hindsight, CBS’s acquisition of The Late Show franchise from WorldWide Pants prior to Colbert’s arrival should have served as a warning. Their decision to take the show in-house indicated an unwillingness to maintain the legacy or influence of David Letterman, and it seems they approached Colbert’s tenure with a similar mindset. When the show’s quality began to dip—largely because Colbert was barred from delivering the style of satire he was known for—internal discussions reportedly took place about replacing him with James Corden, even though such rumours were quickly denied.

Now, with the political climate as it is, Colbert has found it necessary to be openly critical of Donald Trump—highlighting events and actions that are not only real and well-documented, but that resonate deeply with much of the American public. In return, Trump has seized on the turmoil surrounding the ongoing media merger as an opportunity to lash out at his critics and further his own agenda.

If Trump succeeds in dismantling late night television—and by extension, any form of media willing to challenge him—what platform remains for non-MAGA Republicans to clearly communicate their visions for their communities or the nation at large by 2028?

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Says the Hyper-Partisan Activist Hack For The Republicans.

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60

He’s just starved for oxygen, he lives on attention and being a pest.

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