Business Week's got a good run down on the current situation for the return of Conan O'Brien to television laying out some of the possible avenues and the ups and downs for them.
"Getting Conan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get a well-known talent with a following," says Bill Carroll, director of programming for Katz Television Group, which advises TV stations on licensing shows. "But the timing couldn't be worse. Every scenario for him has more risks than upside."
Here's some of the latest information.
Late Night On Fox
- Some larger Fox affiliates are already airing The Office in the late night timeslot and have signed deals for 30 Rock which make a Conan show problematic.
- Fox's syndication arm, which sells reruns (like The Simpsons) would tend to lose out on such deals if a Conan show displaced its shows.
- Conan could go on MyNetworkTV affiliates in markets that can't make the Fox affiliate work.
Starz, Showtime
- Possible deal, ala Bill Maher/HBO, being discussed.
Earlier timeslot syndication
- Talks have happened with CBS syndication (Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy), and Debmar-Mercury (Family Feud) over a possible 7pm sydicated slot, but Sony's sydication arm has already passed on the idea.
What about Network TV? Can't Conan go to ABC, possibly after Kimmel? Or take Kimmel's slot and move Kimmel later? I think going to ABC would be a good idea. Fox has tried many times with late night and it hasn't worked for them very well.
unless there's a secondary conan-media push coinciding with a massively successful tour–financially and creatively, the urgency / buzz of conan withers.
combine that with the difficult current tv landscape (time slots and strictly $ matters), i think the pay cable route may be more likely.
Who cares about Conan. He'll just bomb like he did at Tonight and most importantly he's NOT FUNNY!!!
Yeah, I don't think Late Night is going to happen and honestly I think it would be a waste anyway.
What he really needs to do is take the craziest idea he hasand pitch it to HBO or Showtime. Ala Garry Shandling and The Larry Sanders Show. What the whole Late Night mess has done is to raise his profile which means he can probably get people to sample something they normally wouldn't.
If he can come up with something that really breaks the mold and use his profile to sell it he can cement himself as an innovator and build an empire around that.
Shut up!!….enough said!
Hmmm….well if Fox doesn't take the deal with Conan, the most logical place for him to land would be Comedy Central. That way you can have the Kings of Late Night….Stewart, Colbert, and Conan. I would be routing for this scenario should Fox pass.
ABC is very content with Nightline at this point. It's getting its best ratings in many years, and is beating Letterman fairly often, and has even beat Leno a couple of times. I think ABC is thrilled with the counterprogramming they offer to the other networks, and is not interested in mixing it up in the same ring as Leno and Letterman.
As for bumping Kimmel back or replacing him altogether, that would be a horrible move for Conan. He was already offered the chance to remain on NBC and do The Tonight Show at 12:05 and he passed on that, despite the fact that he would have a huge lead-in of comedy viewers from Leno. Why would he then go to ABC and take a show at the same time, which would be providing him hardly any lead-in viewers that are interested in comedy? Sounds like a recipe for disaster, if you ask me.
Canceling Kimmel is the right move, no matter where Coco ends up. Who's watching that show? I check everyday and his ratings are a disaster, with no end in sight. He is an irrelevant appendage to a network that is beginning to struggle with ratings across the board. Change is needed.
You're comparing Kimmel's ratings to Leno and Letterman, and that's simply not a fair comparison. ABC recognizes that his ratings are going to be much lower than Leno's and Letterman's, because ABC has made the business decision to counterprogram in the 11:35-12:05 slot. They air Nightline, which draws the exact opposite type of viewer than those that are looking for late night talk/comedy. Anyone looking for late night talk/comedy is going to Leno or Letterman after their local news is over. So ABC knows that because they're not providing Kimmel with a compatible lead in, and running his show 30 minutes later than the other late night comedy/talk shows, they're putting Kimmel at a huge disadvantage. Until now, they've decided that this is a fair trade off, in order to gain those viewers for Nightline.
It would be highly hypocritical of ABC to cancel Kimmel due to his ratings when they haven't given him the opportunity to compete on equal ground with the other late night comedy shows.
Junior, although the backlash would not be the same, it would be close to the Leno/Conan situation if Conan went to ABC and forced Kimmel back.
After the primetime Leno debacle this may seem crazy, but how about Fridays at 9 on FOX? The network has already failed with original dramas and comedies on that night, and TVByTheNumbers actually just ran an article about the potential 18-49 numbers up for grabs on that night if any network could come up with a hit. This could be a way for FOX to get right in there.
This makes sense creatively as well for a number of reasons:
- Conan hated interviewing most guests. You could see it on his face. And the ones that he did like were his old pal like Norm MacDonald who are ratings killers. Having one show a week could ensure big names on every show.
- People had mixed emotions on Conan’s sketches such as Twitter Tracker, In The Year 3000, the telenovelas etc. If you have 2-3 of them each night you are going to attract a larger audience as the fanbase that likes each one will tune in, potentially tripling the number of people who watch for those reasons.
- And most importantly, his material would be fresh. Now instead of making five jokes about whatever happened on Monday, one joke every single night, he just has to come up with one good one for every big event of the week.
There are definitely problems with this strategy to, but it is something that both parties should at least consider. Or, if he does want to be on every night, they could do Monday – Thursday half hour shows on FX and then promote the Friday on FOX episode as a special hour long big deal etc. etc.
Junior, although the backlash would not be the same, it would be close to the Leno/Conan situation if Conan went to ABC and forced Kimmel back.
After the primetime Leno debacle this may seem crazy, but how about Fridays at 9 on FOX? The network has already failed with original dramas and comedies on that night, and TVByTheNumbers actually just ran an article about the potential 18-49 numbers up for grabs on that night if any network could come up with a hit. This could be a way for FOX to get right in there.
This makes sense creatively as well for a number of reasons:
- Conan hated interviewing most guests. You could see it on his face. And the ones that he did like were his old pal like Norm MacDonald who are ratings killers. Having one show a week could ensure big names on every show.
- People had mixed emotions on Conan’s sketches such as Twitter Tracker, In The Year 3000, the telenovelas etc. If you have 2-3 of them each night you are going to attract a larger audience as the fanbase that likes each one will tune in, potentially tripling the number of people who watch for those reasons.
- And most importantly, his material would be fresh. Now instead of making five jokes about whatever happened on Monday, one joke every single night, he just has to come up with one good one for every big event of the week.
There are definitely problems with this strategy to, but it is something that both parties should at least consider. Or, if he does want to be on every night, they could do Monday – Thursday half hour shows on FX and then promote the Friday on FOX episode as a special hour long big deal etc. etc.
Junior, although the backlash would not be the same, it would be close to the Leno/Conan situation if Conan went to ABC and forced Kimmel back.
After the primetime Leno debacle this may seem crazy, but how about Fridays at 9 on FOX? The network has already failed with original dramas and comedies on that night, and TVByTheNumbers actually just ran an article about the potential 18-49 numbers up for grabs on that night if any network could come up with a hit. This could be a way for FOX to get right in there.
This makes sense creatively as well for a number of reasons:
- Conan hated interviewing most guests. You could see it on his face. And the ones that he did like were his old pal like Norm MacDonald who are ratings killers. Having one show a week could ensure big names on every show.
- People had mixed emotions on Conan’s sketches such as Twitter Tracker, In The Year 3000, the telenovelas etc. If you have 2-3 of them each night you are going to attract a larger audience as the fanbase that likes each one will tune in, potentially tripling the number of people who watch for those reasons.
- And most importantly, his material would be fresh. Now instead of making five jokes about whatever happened on Monday, one joke every single night, he just has to come up with one good one for every big event of the week.
There are definitely problems with this strategy to, but it is something that both parties should at least consider. Or, if he does want to be on every night, they could do Monday – Thursday half hour shows on FX and then promote the Friday on FOX episode as a special hour long big deal etc. etc.
Junior, although the backlash would not be the same, it would be close to the Leno/Conan situation if Conan went to ABC and forced Kimmel back.
After the primetime Leno debacle this may seem crazy, but how about Fridays at 9 on FOX? The network has already failed with original dramas and comedies on that night, and TVByTheNumbers actually just ran an article about the potential 18-49 numbers up for grabs on that night if any network could come up with a hit. This could be a way for FOX to get right in there.
This makes sense creatively as well for a number of reasons:
- Conan hated interviewing most guests. You could see it on his face. And the ones that he did like were his old pal like Norm MacDonald who are ratings killers. Having one show a week could ensure big names on every show.
- People had mixed emotions on Conan’s sketches such as Twitter Tracker, In The Year 3000, the telenovelas etc. If you have 2-3 of them each night you are going to attract a larger audience as the fanbase that likes each one will tune in, potentially tripling the number of people who watch for those reasons.
- And most importantly, his material would be fresh. Now instead of making five jokes about whatever happened on Monday, one joke every single night, he just has to come up with one good one for every big event of the week.
There are definitely problems with this strategy to, but it is something that both parties should at least consider. Or, if he does want to be on every night, they could do Monday – Thursday half hour shows on FX and then promote the Friday on FOX episode as a special hour long big deal etc. etc.
You're forgetting that Kimmel is on 30 mins BEFORE Fallon and Fergie. And both beat him, pretty routinely. Can't say his lead in isnt demographically helping because Kimmel's median age is around 53, similar to Nightline's. It's a failure, no way to spin it. ABC just needs to replace it with something better. Period.
There's more than enough talk shows on the air.
Maybe Conan would be better served doing something besides a talk show.
Rigo_D, there's no timeslot available for Conan on Comedy Central. Conan doesn't want to do 12 midnight. If he did, he would've accepted NBC's offer to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 after a half-hour Leno show. And 12 a.m. (ET) on a cable channel would be a huge step down for him. And I'm not sure he could do 10 p.m. (ET) on there either. Some of CC's most successful shows, particularly South Park, are already at 10 and I don't know if they'd want to move them. Plus it might seem strange for him to go into the timeslot where Leno failed, even if it would be entirely different because he'd be on cable. In any case, Comedy Central might not be able to afford him. Being on ANY cable channel might be an awfully big pay cut for him. FX might be the best bet if Fox passes but he'd probably make more $$$$ doing an endless comedy tour. I bet THAT is where the cash is.
Right, when Kimmel is losing to Fallon and Ferguson then it is time to call it quits, and he has been losing to those two for awhile now. That is not how ABC should want their late night the 12-1 show is getting beat by the 1230-130 shows. Thats embarrassing in my opnion.
Right, when Kimmel is losing to Fallon and Ferguson then it is time to call it quits, and he has been losing to those two for awhile now. That is not how ABC should want their late night the 12-1 show is getting beat by the 1230-130 shows. Thats embarrassing in my opnion.
Right, when Kimmel is losing to Fallon and Ferguson then it is time to call it quits, and he has been losing to those two for awhile now. That is not how ABC should want their late night the 12-1 show is getting beat by the 1230-130 shows. Thats embarrassing in my opnion.
Kimmel is losing to NBC and CBS at 1230-130, and Kimmel’s .5/2 in the demo barley beat CARSON DALY who had a .4/2 last week. That is embarassing