On the eve of "Jimmy Kimmel Live’s" 10th anniversary on air, the ABC late night show is finally getting its bump to the coveted 11:35 pm slot, moving "Nightline" to 12:35 pm.
The move will put the network’s late night franchise in a slot that allows it to go head-to-head with NBC’s "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and CBS’ "Late Show with David Letterman." "JKL" will shift into the new time period Tuesday, Jan. 8, a day after the network airs the BCS national championship game.
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In early 2011, ABC announced it is was trimming five minutes off the end of "Nightline," which would allow "JKL" to move from 12:05 a.m. to midnight, as part of Kimmel's new two-year deal. At the time, ABC News President Ben Sherwood stressed that "Nightline" would stay put at 11:35 pm, and that the move was a “strategic” means to better leverage the strength and value of both shows. A decade earlier, ABC was prepared to dump the news program for a Letterman-fronted late night show.
The news comes as the recently engaged Kimmel continues his year of firsts: the first time he emceed the White House Correspondents Dinner; the first time he was invited to host the Emmy Awards; and the first time his late-night series is up for an Emmy in the late night or variety show category.
Kimmel's late night show is coming off of its most-watched July ever, making ABC the only major broadcaster to see year-to-year growth in late-night in total viewers. During the July sweep, the series surged 14 percent in total viewers. For its part, "Nightline" ranked no. 1 among the key demos -- both adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 -- during the same period, beating both NBC’s "The Tonight Show" and CBS’ "The Late Show."
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