CBS Executive Addresses Late-Night Programming Changes
CBS President and CEO George Cheeks has spoken about the network's transition from 'The Late Show' to Byron Allen's 'Comics Unleashed,' which now occupies the time slot through a time buy arrangement.
According to reporting by Nellie Andreeva, Cheeks discussed the programming change and suggested that CBS may eventually return to producing its own late-night content. "We continue to develop," Cheeks stated when addressing the network's late-night strategy.
Time Buy Arrangement
The current arrangement involves Byron Allen's 'Comics Unleashed' filling the late-night slot previously occupied by 'The Late Show.' In television, a time buy typically refers to an arrangement where an outside producer purchases airtime from a network to broadcast their programming.
Byron Allen is a media entrepreneur who owns Entertainment Studios, a company that produces and distributes television programming. 'Comics Unleashed' is a stand-up comedy showcase that features various comedians performing their routines.
CBS Late-Night History
'The Late Show' has been a fixture of CBS's late-night programming for decades, previously hosted by David Letterman from 1993 to 2015, followed by Stephen Colbert who took over the program in September 2015. The show has traditionally competed with other major network late-night offerings.
Cheeks' comments suggest that while CBS has moved away from producing its own late-night programming in the immediate term, the network has not abandoned the possibility of returning to the late-night space with original content in the future.
