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why did networks pay late night hosts so much?

they were paying these guys $20,000,000k a year just for the...
Very tactful school cafeteria
  09/17/25
u mad? they're millionaires for life and Charlie Kirk i...
silver mind-boggling theatre
  09/17/25
The shows were like football ie loss leaders that they use t...
Odious corner
  09/17/25
right. but at this point the networks have collectively, ove...
Very tactful school cafeteria
  09/17/25
Yes. The legacy media businesses were so absurdly profitable...
Topaz Mewling Mad Cow Disease Gay Wizard
  09/17/25
fma.
prole 10yo with heartbreaking youtube channel
  09/18/25
Yes they are.
Odious corner
  09/18/25
Carson was a huge cash cow. I saw one JRE episode had more v...
Lime rough-skinned market
  09/17/25
iirc, Carson generated 20% of NBC's profits.
anal background story becky
  09/17/25
Mostly because, back in the day, the hosts could jump ship t...
Marvelous Bistre Boistinker
  09/17/25
When they say what?
allegedly
  09/18/25
Carson and Leno followed the old school: gently mock all pol...
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
  09/18/25
Missed the joke there
allegedly
  09/18/25
they used to have a monopoly and it turns out in America mos...
haunting office prole
  09/17/25
it blew my mind to learn that median age of a Colbert viewer...
anal background story becky
  09/17/25
because they get 2-3 million viewers every night.
Poppy site
  09/18/25
I looked it up. They avg half that amount.
Lime rough-skinned market
  09/18/25
they are basically youtube videos now, there is no reason to...
haunting office prole
  09/18/25
...
autistic school
  09/18/25
Isn't this almost entirely transaction costs? I don't wat...
Barack Carcetti
  09/18/25
Because it used to be that if someone could deliver you 4.5 ...
........,,,,,,......,.,.,.,,,,,,,,,,
  09/18/25


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Date: September 17th, 2025 7:43 PM
Author: Very tactful school cafeteria

they were paying these guys $20,000,000k a year just for the privilege of losing a few tens of millions more. i’m sure they could find someone who could do just as well (or better) for $1,000,000k a year. and there’s no way any significant number of people were tuning in out of some allegiance to “jimmy kimmel” or “stephen colbert.” how did this go on so long?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49279513)



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Date: September 17th, 2025 7:56 PM
Author: silver mind-boggling theatre

u mad?

they're millionaires for life and Charlie Kirk is dead

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49279558)



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Date: September 17th, 2025 7:54 PM
Author: Odious corner

The shows were like football ie loss leaders that they use to promote their other properties. It’s obviously a concept that only really made sense in the world of 4 TV channels and only barely made sense after cable was widely adopted. Today there are like 50 podcasts that perform the same function more effectively and for like .0001% of the cost.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49279555)



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Date: September 17th, 2025 8:06 PM
Author: Very tactful school cafeteria

right. but at this point the networks have collectively, over the last decade, set aflame hundreds of millions of dollars on bloated salaries alone. are these hollywood boomers really just that retarded and disconnected from any personal or professional need to perform?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49279599)



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Date: September 17th, 2025 11:35 PM
Author: Topaz Mewling Mad Cow Disease Gay Wizard

Yes. The legacy media businesses were so absurdly profitable that complete morons were promoted. Think about every person in America paying $100+/month for TV with ads.

Also producing a late night show is basically free other than the host cost: one set, no other meaningful paid talent, celebs come on to promote their shit (often owned by the same parent company). Back when people watched these shows printed money.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49280273)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 10:30 AM
Author: prole 10yo with heartbreaking youtube channel

fma.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49281155)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 12:43 AM
Author: Odious corner

Yes they are.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49280446)



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Date: September 17th, 2025 8:11 PM
Author: Lime rough-skinned market

Carson was a huge cash cow. I saw one JRE episode had more views than all of the late night shows for the entire month combined.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49279633)



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Date: September 17th, 2025 11:36 PM
Author: anal background story becky

iirc, Carson generated 20% of NBC's profits.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49280277)



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Date: September 17th, 2025 7:55 PM
Author: Marvelous Bistre Boistinker

Mostly because, back in the day, the hosts could jump ship to a competing network and take most of their audience with them. Also so (((they))) could have complete control of when the hosts say.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49279556)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 10:39 AM
Author: allegedly

When they say what?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49281164)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 10:50 AM
Author: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


Carson and Leno followed the old school: gently mock all politicians regardless of party.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49281185)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 7:44 PM
Author: allegedly

Missed the joke there

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49282670)



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Date: September 17th, 2025 11:37 PM
Author: haunting office prole

they used to have a monopoly and it turns out in America most successful things are run by absolute retards who don't realize when they've lost that

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49280278)



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Date: September 17th, 2025 11:40 PM
Author: anal background story becky

it blew my mind to learn that median age of a Colbert viewer was 68. how the fuck can a network lose tens of millions, get geriatric viewers, and keep Colbert around? insanity.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49280284)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 12:44 AM
Author: Poppy site

because they get 2-3 million viewers every night.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49280448)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 1:21 AM
Author: Lime rough-skinned market

I looked it up. They avg half that amount.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49280523)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 1:32 AM
Author: haunting office prole

they are basically youtube videos now, there is no reason to consider them as anything above their fellow content creators, and I'm sure they hate that

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49280550)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 1:53 AM
Author: autistic school



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49280577)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 10:43 AM
Author: Barack Carcetti

Isn't this almost entirely transaction costs?

I don't watch any of these shows, and sometimes it hurts my brain trying to imagine who find them entertaining, but whatever.

But there are millions of people (I assume mostly boomers) who watch these shows on autopilot, because that's what they're in the habit of doing. Local evening news comes on, then Kimmel or Colbert comes on...

Sure you could reimagine the entire genre and do something fresh, but that involves risk.

Maybe you could pay a guy 1 million dollars, and he's cheap, but then you need to get the audience used to him, and maybe they won't, or maybe they will, then you have to decide if its worth a raise to retain him.

Seems like its similar to why Tua and Trevor Lawrence get paid 50 million a year. Could you start over and pay a rookie fraction of that and get as good play? Maybe, you really want to risk it though? You positive you have enough rope with your owner to do that?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49281169)



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Date: September 18th, 2025 5:43 PM
Author: ........,,,,,,......,.,.,.,,,,,,,,,,


Because it used to be that if someone could deliver you 4.5 million engaged viewers, versus 3.5 million engaged viewers, that was worth $100 million to the network.

Same reason tehy used to pay Frasier or Drew Carey $2 mm an episode.

It also used to be a place where the network shows could go and introduce the new sitcoms. But now the networks ahve no shows to promote.

And I read that the advertisers finally realized no one with a pulse is watching these shows - so the ad money is like 20% what it was even just a few years ago. People are spending that marketing money on key word advertising, influencers, or podcasts.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5776880&forum_id=2#49282353)