Every year, in May, Jimmy Kimmel stands on a stage at Disney’s upfronts and artfully and hilariously skewers the nation’s biggest television advertisers for once again spending more money to reach fewer viewers. In 2010, he quipped that network television wasn’t losing ground to cable, but rather gaining on newspapers. In 2013, he compared broadcast TV to Apple—only in the sense that their products got smaller every year. In 2018: “Our ratings are going down and our prices are going up. Too bad, eat it!” In 2019: “You obviously have a lot of choices for how and where to throw your money away. We hope you throw your money away on us.” And this year: “Somehow, even though ratings are down, ad spending for broadcast television was up 37 percent in the first quarter of this year. How is that possible? The more viewers we lose, the more money you give us. What kind of message is this sending?”
Try Puck for free
Sign up today to join the inside conversation at the nexus of Wall Street, Washington, A.I., Hollywood, and more.
Already a member? Log In
- Daily articles and breaking news
- Personal emails directly from our authors
- Gift subscriber-only stories to friends & family
- Unlimited access to archives
- Exclusive bonus days of select newsletters
- Exclusive access to Puck merch
- Early bird access to new editorial and product features
- Invitations to private conference calls with Puck authors
Exclusive to Inner Circle only
Latest Articles from Hollywood
Can ‘Melania’ Open?
Movie Theaters Want a Ted Sarandos Blood Oath
How Netflix’s Sony Deal Explains Its Warners Pursuit
Kathleen Kennedy’s Final Episode
The Math Behind Combining Hulu and Disney+
Kevin Spacey’s $80M Legal House of Cards
Can John Landgraf’s Slow TV Model Survive?
Get access to this story
Enter your email for a free preview of Puck’s full offering, including exclusive articles, private emails from authors, and more.
Latest Articles from Hollywood
20 Surefire, 100 Percent Probable Hollywood Predictions for 2026 (Part Two)
It Was One Box Office Battle After Another in 2025
Netflix’s Game of Antitrust Chicken
20 Surefire, 100 Percent Probable Hollywood Predictions for 2026 (Part One)
The CAA-Range Finale, Zaz’s $500M Beef & Trump’s Media Damages Calculator
Hollywood’s Heroes of the Year Are… The Warner Bros. Duo
Hollywood’s Villain of the Year Is… Sam Altman
You have 1 free article Left
To read this full story and more, start your 14 day free trial today →
Already a member? Log In
Get access to this story
Enter your email to get access to one article and free previews of our private emails from Puck authors and editors.
Already a Member? Sign in
Latest Articles from Hollywood
The Oscars-YouTube Brand Problem
Does Anyone Believe Ted Sarandos on Theaters?
Disney’s Sora Wager & Hollywood’s Next A.I. Legal Battles
Who Wants Warner Bros. More?
Alan Horn Remembers Rob Reiner
Why Netflix Needs Warner Bros.