Data Behind Jimmy Kimmel's TV Impact, YouTube Approach
Late-night TV has become a lightning rod this year, as networks put the value of these shows in the crosshairs compared to pressures from corporate mergers and the President of the United States. But all of that noise drowns out the actual value and approach of programs like Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Jason Damata has an extensive write-up about Kimmel's business value over on TVREV, and it's worth reading through that full piece. But some data highlights around the show:
TV Advertising
Importantly, Jimmy Kimmel Live is one of the top 10 or 11 programs on ABC since 2022 when it comes to both household TV ad reach and est. national TV ad spend – according to data from iSpot.
- Through Sept. 16 (the most recent episode of Kimmel), the show generated an estimated $67.4 million for ABC, and was on track for more than last year's total of $76.6 million.
- Reach-wise, the program has been increasing since 2022; from 11.26 billion household TV ad impressions in 2022, to 11.85 billion in 2023, 13.26 last year (an election year), and then 9.87 billion so far this year.
YouTube Viewing
Beyond traditional TV viewing, many watch late-night shows like Kimmel on YouTube and other social video sites the next day. Tubular Labs data quantifies how the show uses YouTube, and its audience there.
- Kimmel only had eight new episodes in August, which explains at least part of the show’s 39% month-over-month dip to 4.4 million unique U.S. viewers in August.
- Kimmel was peaking during the 2024 presidential election cycle, when he averaged 15.1 million unique U.S. viewers on YouTube per month from September through November (as the host leaned into political commentary).
- Year-t0-date, Kimmel has uploaded 144 videos explicitly about Donald Trump this year (out of 577 total) – and the 32 most-watched Kimmel videos this year have been about Trump in some way, as have nearly all of the show's 100 most-watched videos this year by views.
