The Late-Night Lessons Advertisers Can’t Afford to Miss
When “Jimmy Kimmel Live” returned to the air on September 23 after a short suspension, it delivered a powerful message to advertisers—flexible media planning can pay off with big results. Despite being preempted in nearly a quarter (23%) of U.S. linear TV homes, the show drew 6.26 million viewers, making it the third most-watched episode ever. The first 10 minutes viewership peaked at 7.78 million, highlighting a level of live viewership that’s becoming rare in today’s media landscape.
The show was a huge success for advertisers who had inventory in that episode. One Rain the Growth Agency client secured a unit in the show and saw results that more than doubled their usual response rate. This opportunity also surfaced a larger conversation about platform strategy and capitalizing on massive cultural moments.
Here are three key lessons for advertisers from the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” return:
1. Linear TV Still Delivers
It’s easy to write off linear TV amid declining ratings, but moments like this prove it still has power when the timing and content align. Keep budgets flexible for scatter marketplace buys and availability for tentpole moments such as show returns, host debuts, viral news cycles, and major cultural events, especially those getting a lot of buzz on other channels like social media.
2. Amplify with YouTube
The show’s return episode monologue reached 14 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours, meaning more people actually watched the monologue on YouTube than linear TV. The @JimmyKimmelLive YouTube account gained 100,000 new subscribers from September 23-25, signaling that advertisers should consider investing in YouTube around major topical moments.
3. Late Night’s Influence Remains Strong
Despite conflicting reports that late night TV viewership is declining, what the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” return showed is that audiences still seek timely commentary delivered by late night hosts. Given the attention the Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel programming is getting currently, it demonstrates their content is still culturally relevant and gaining the attention of younger demos that consume their content on digital platforms.
As the media landscape continues to evolve, one thing is clear: cultural moments still have the power to break through, and advertisers who plan with flexibility and agility can reap the rewards. The return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” was a compelling reminder that late night TV can still be a high reach avenue, especially when supported by cross-channel amplification. For advertisers, the takeaway is simple: don’t underestimate the power of live, topical content, and be ready to move quickly when the next big moment hits.
This article is featured in Media Impact Report No. 69. View the full report here.
