The Jimmy Kimmel Live star will remain with the ABC network through January 2017.
ABC’s move is showing its desire to maintain stability in its late-night programming in a period with movement at rival networks like NBC and CBS. David Letterman (CBS) recently announced his retirement from Late Show in 2015 and he’s being replaced by Stephen Colbert as a host. A short time after the Colbert announcement, Craig Ferguson, the host of Late Late Show announced his plans of leaving the network at the end of this year.
Also, NBC has recently made hosting changes at The Tonight Show and Late Nigh by moving Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers into the hosting chairs.
In the 18-49 demographic, Kimmel gains 917.000 viewers, with 162.000 more viewers than Letterman, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter. As of February, Kimmel’s first complete season at 11:35 p.m. was up 28 percent over the previous year, when he ran almost exclusively in the 12:05 a.m. slot.