How does Jimmy Kimmel Live compare to other late-night shows in terms of advertising revenue?
Executive summary
Jimmy Kimmel Live! generated roughly $70 million in ad revenue year-to-date for ABC and ran ads for more than 200 brands, per iSpot reporting cited in Business Insider and Fox Business [1] [2]. That haul sits against an industry-wide decline in late‑night ad dollars — major-network late-night ad revenue fell from $439 million in 2018 to $220 million last year — and individual shows like Colbert reportedly losing tens of millions annually [3].
1. A big number that still exists in a shrinking market
Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s near-$70 million year‑to‑date ad contribution is large in isolation and valuable to ABC: iSpot data quoted in Business Insider and Fox Business puts Kimmel at “just under $70 million” and “close to $70 million,” respectively, with more than 200 advertisers using the show [1] [2]. But that figure sits inside a broader contraction: Guideline data cited by Fox Business shows late‑night ad revenue across major networks dropped from $439 million in 2018 to $220 million last year, signalling that even strong single‑show totals come as the late‑night pie is shrinking [3].
2. Comparisons — Colbert, Fallon and the arithmetic of loss
Comparative reporting points to pain across hosts. Fox Business relays a Puck report that CBS insiders said The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was “losing upwards of $40 million a year,” an example that late‑night titles can be net drains despite cultural reach [3]. Available sources do not provide a full ranked list of ad revenue by show, but the cited numbers create a picture where Kimmel’s ~$70 million is substantial relative to single‑show losses reported elsewhere [3] [1].
3. Why the headlines matter to networks and affiliates
Networks use late‑night shows to sell brand exposure and to cross‑promote their own programming; Business Insider notes ABC even used a share of Kimmel’s ad inventory to promote other shows (12% per iSpot), emphasising network-level value beyond direct ad dollars [1]. Affiliates and station groups also feel the effects: when Sinclair briefly pulled Kimmel, the company’s broader third‑quarter advertising revenue plunged 26% year‑over‑year to $321 million — though Sinclair’s executives did not ascribe that decline directly to the boycott in their earnings materials [4] [5].
4. Ratings, advertising and the feedback loop
Declining viewership erodes price power. ThatParkPlace compiles ratings declines that show Kimmel lost a large share of his audience in 2025 — claims that, if accurate, help explain pressure on ad rates and revenue [6]. Business Insider frames the suspension episode as exposing the fragility of late‑night in 2025, noting that even with virality and branding benefits, audience shifts to streaming and social media reduce linear ad demand [1].
5. Political controversy as a volatility multiplier
The September 2025 controversy and ABC’s temporary suspension of Kimmel added a volatility premium to his show’s commercial calculus. Fox Business and other outlets reported ABC pulled the program and that many advertisers and stations reacted, an episode that threatens near‑term bookings and makes advertisers consider moving buys [2] [1]. Sinclair’s temporary boycott and subsequent earnings coverage illustrate how editorial controversies can prompt preemptions that interact unpredictably with ad calendars [4] [5].
6. Different metrics, different stories — demand vs. dollars
Audience demand indexes and advertising dollars can diverge. Parrot Analytics notes Kimmel had notably high “audience demand” multipliers at times (for example a 32.9x May 2025 demand level cited by Parrot), which supports content value beyond linear ad sales — clips, streaming conversions, and event hosting roles — yet that demand does not automatically translate into the same scale of advertising dollars in a contracting linear market [7] [1].
7. What the numbers do and don’t tell us
Available reporting gives clear snapshots — Kimmel’s roughly $70 million, late‑night total declines from $439M to $220M, and individual shows reporting tens of millions in losses — but gaps remain. Sources do not provide a complete, up‑to‑date ranking of late‑night ad revenue per show or an audited multi‑year trendline for each host; they also do not attribute Sinclair’s full revenue swing solely to the Kimmel controversy [2] [3] [4]. Those limits mean the comparison is directional: Kimmel’s ad haul is meaningful, but the industry context reduces the guarantee that a high dollar total equates to long‑term profitability.
Conclusion — Kimmel remains commercially significant to ABC on paper, with near‑$70M in ad sales and hundreds of advertisers [1] [2]. Yet the late‑night ad market has shrunk dramatically, several flagship hosts face multi‑million‑dollar losses, and controversy has added acute booking risk for advertisers and affiliates — a combination that makes Kimmel’s revenue headline large but fragile [3] [1] [4].