The return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to ABC not only produced some of the best ratings for the show in a decade, it also highlighted growing audiences on social media that could play an important role in the business decisions ABC parent The Walt Disney Co., Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair will make during their discussions over its future.
After suspending the late-night talk show following Kimmel’s controversial about murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 17, ABC resumed airing the show on Sept. 23. However, two of the nation's largest station groups, Nexstar and Sinclair, continue to preempt the program.
The show returned to air with a preliminary 0.87 rating among adults aged 18 to 49. That was the best rating for a regularly scheduled episode in a decade since March 12, 2015, ABC reported.
It also had more than 6.26 million total viewers, despite significant preemptions across 23% of U.S. TV households in markets where Nexstar and Sinclair stations did not air the show.
Perhaps even more notable in terms of its future were stats from social media. ABC reported on Sept. 24 that Kimmel’s monologue garnered more than 26 million views across YouTube and social media.
By 11:30 a.m. ET on Sept. 25, the monologue had more than 19 million views on YouTube alone, indicating that a lot of the audience was now bypassing regular broadcast to watch.
These large audiences could play an important role in the ongoing discussions between Nexstar and Sinclair in restoring the show to broadcast in their markets.
The show's YouTube channel currently has more than 21.4 million subscribers, up significantly from the 20 million sub mark passed on Feb. 3 by the program.
If Nexstar and Sinclair decide to continue preempting the show that could prompt even more viewers in their markets, particularly younger audiences, to move their viewing from broadcast TV, where the stations control ad sales, to social media, where YouTube has a very profitable ad business.
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