Part 3/7:
Financial Implications: High Salaries Amid Low Returns
With galling compensation figures for late-night hosts—Fallon at $16 million, Kimmel and Colbert both at $15 million, and Seth Meyers at $5 million—the financial sustainability of these shows comes under scrutiny. The discrepancy between their salaries and their viewership numbers presents a troubling math problem for the networks. One must wonder how executives rationalize investing heavily in these shows with such little return on viewership.