Ben Hoffman: "Nobody watches late night talk shows anymore"
So Conan is officially off the air. Leno comes back to replace him in March. The whole world seems to be disappointed. Everyone except Ben Hoffman. He's pissed that you even cared.
A recent New York Times article suggests that Conan's low ratings were easily predictable...
If young people spend their late nights in front of a television, they're more likely to be watching cable or watching DVR'd episodes of primetime shows. This demographic still watches the funniest clips, but on Hulu, after they read about them in the blogosphere.
The same blogosphere is responsible for making late night's jokes stale. Ben points out that "I heard a funnier joke on Gawker, six hours ago." The internet teases out every joke, before television can. (A few months ago Joe Wilson, mentioned a similar idea for stand-up.)
What does that mean for the future of late night network television? I dunno, but I'll probably hear about it first online.
I have to admit the only episode of Conan's Tonight Show, I watched on TV was one two weeks ago at the height of the controversy. I caught the last few minutes of Conan's finale on Hulu. Hoffman makes a good point:
"Nobody watches late night talk shows anymore. Okay some people do, but they'll be dead soon."
A recent New York Times article suggests that Conan's low ratings were easily predictable...
"not because Mr. O’Brien does not appeal to younger viewers — he clearly does, as evidenced by the large numbers he attracted for his closing shows — but because regularly assembling those young adult viewers in significant numbers in the late-night hours has become a daunting, if not impossible, task."
If young people spend their late nights in front of a television, they're more likely to be watching cable or watching DVR'd episodes of primetime shows. This demographic still watches the funniest clips, but on Hulu, after they read about them in the blogosphere.
The same blogosphere is responsible for making late night's jokes stale. Ben points out that "I heard a funnier joke on Gawker, six hours ago." The internet teases out every joke, before television can. (A few months ago Joe Wilson, mentioned a similar idea for stand-up.)
What does that mean for the future of late night network television? I dunno, but I'll probably hear about it first online.
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