Stephen Colbert’s sign-off as the host of the CBS “The Late Show” may signal the end of a historic TV franchise, but the late-night tradition is moving to podcasts.
Conan O’Brien helped blaze the trail for other comedians who have exited the late-night stage. He launched the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast eight years after walking away from NBC’s “The Tonight Show” in 2010. It now ranks 15th among the nation’s top 50 podcasts, according to Edison Research, and has racked up more than 230 million downloads since it debuted in 2018.
“He got pushed off late-night,” said Megan Lazovick, Edison Research at SSRS vice president, about Conan O’Brien. “Now, he has this huge career, and really the freedom to do whatever he wants.”
YouTube’s dominance in the living room has helped fuel the surge in podcasts, particularly video podcasts, which look like TV talk shows. It has become the most popular destination for weekly podcasts, eclipsing Spotify and Apple, according to Edison Research at SSRS. It now ranks 15th among the nation’s top 50 podcasts and has racked up more than 230 million downloads since it debuted in 2018.