Byron Allen has addressed recent reports from the Daily Beast that characterized his new CBS late-night program, *Comics Unleashed*, as a "ratings disaster." Allen, who took over the 11:35 pm slot after Stephen Colbert's exit, reportedly remained "not fazed" by the significant drop in viewership.

Colbert's final episode of *The Late Show* garnered 6.7 million viewers, marking its highest-ever weeknight viewership.

In contrast, the subsequent night saw *Comics Unleashed* attract just 995,000 viewers, a substantial 85% decline.

By June 1, when rival late-night shows returned with new episodes, Allen's program further dipped to 628,000 viewers.

Allen defended these numbers by suggesting his show's performance should be compared to Colbert's ratings before his "post-cancellation victory lap." However, Nielsen data obtained by LateNighter indicates that *The Late Show* averaged more than double the viewers of *Comics Unleashed* in the preceding May.

Despite claims of outperforming competitors in key TV markets, Allen's show consistently lags behind *The Tonight Show*, *Jimmy Kimmel Live!*, and *Late Night with Seth Meyers* in the same timeslot.

He published a chart to support his claims, but Nielsen data generally shows his program being dwarfed by those of Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon.

Financial Model for CBS

Allen maintains that his show represents a significant financial win for CBS.

He stated that the network has "won big-time because they have zero production costs and now they are saving $55 million a year." This is due to a unique 'time-buy' agreement where Allen leases the 11:35 timeslot from CBS for $15 million.

This arrangement allows him to sell advertising directly and retain the profits.

CBS has also publicly supported this partnership, describing it as a "new business and programming model for late night." The network confirmed that this 'time-buy' model has transformed a timeslot that was previously losing approximately $40 million annually into a $15 million profit, representing a $55 million swing.

This financial restructuring is why this development matters to the audience, as it indicates a significant shift in how networks might approach late-night programming.

Allen, whose panel show has been criticized for its low-budget comedy and use of a laugh track, and even mocked by John Oliver, remains confident in his media ventures.

He quipped, "I like to say I’m a 65-year-old overnight success," and expressed his ambition to build "the world’s biggest media company."