Jimmy Kimmel Live! scored its historic, long-expected return to air on Tuesday night, as the show drew a staggering 6.26 million viewers overall. In addition to being hosted by comedic genius and late night shaman Jimmy Kimmel, the show made a big splash. It earned its highest adult 18-49 rating in more than 10 years! This ongoing resurgence is happening against the backdrop of a significant television disruption, with an estimated 23% of U.S. television households affected by preemptions.
Kimmel’s comments set off the preemptions. In media circles, this raised alarms at two of the largest broadcast conglomerates, Nexstar and Sinclair, which together own or operate nearly 70% of the ABC affiliate stations. We’ve seen federal communications commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr go after ABC and its affiliates for providing “propaganda” by reporting on the dangers of misinformation and other threats to democracy. He argued that they should lose their broadcast licenses given the continued uproar over them.
Nielsen was the source of the data that Disney leaked, confirming the severely low viewership. Kimmel’s monologue did draw a laugh when he joked that forcing millions of people to watch was the most difficult part of the endeavor.
“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” – Jimmy Kimmel
This statement played out in the background of Kimmel’s return from a short break after the Academy Awards, where he was criticized for offensive past statements. Sinclair and ABC are in ongoing negotiations over bringing the show back. This long-standing debate has recently been placed under a national spotlight by none other than a Sinclair representative.
“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” – Sinclair
Kimmel’s return generated substantial attention not only for its viewership numbers but for the regulatory implications surrounding broadcast licenses. The FCC’s engagement here is a sign of the vigorous examination of content and its corrosive effects on the standards of public service broadcasting.