The landscape of late-night television is undergoing a significant shift following the departure of *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*.

While Colbert's exit marked a notable change for CBS, it appears to have brought positive news for the competing shows hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, as both have experienced an uptick in their late night ratings.

In the first week after *The Late Show* concluded, *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* on ABC saw a substantial increase in viewership.

The show garnered 2.185 million total viewers, representing a 53% rise from the same period a year ago.

More strikingly, the program's 18-49 advertising demographic numbers surged by 178%, reaching 295,000 viewers.

This significant jump suggests that a considerable portion of Colbert's audience may have transitioned to Kimmel's show.

NBC's *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon* also benefited, though to a lesser extent.

Fallon's show attracted 1.3 million total viewers, a 10% increase year-over-year, and saw a 14% rise in the advertising demo, reaching 194,000 viewers.

The differing degrees of increase between the two Jimmys' shows could be attributed to their distinct approaches, with Kimmel often engaging in political discourse, a style more aligned with Colbert's than Fallon's celebrity-focused segments.

Impact on CBS and the Future of the Timeslot

For CBS, the post-Colbert era has presented a different picture.

The network's new occupant for the 11:35 PM slot, *Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen*, debuted to 628,000 total viewers.

This figure represents a 65% decrease compared to *The Late Show*'s previous performance, which had averaged 2.7 million total viewers in the first quarter of the year and saw its final episode draw 6.7 million viewers.

Despite the drop in viewership, CBS reportedly views this change as a strategic financial move.

*The Late Show* was allegedly costing the network $40 million annually in losses.

In contrast, Byron Allen's show is said to be paying CBS for the timeslot, potentially generating $15 million in annual revenue for the network.

This shift is seen by CBS as a substantial financial improvement, with Allen himself suggesting the total profit swing could be as high as $150 million.

This development matters to the audience because it indicates a potential shift in how networks approach late-night programming, prioritizing financial models over traditional viewership metrics for certain slots.