Julian Shapiro-Barnum Launches Weekly YouTube Late-Night Show at 26 as TV Format Faces $100 Million Cost Problem
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 3
Julian Shapiro-Barnum Launches Weekly YouTube Late-Night Show at 26 as TV Format Faces $100 Million Cost Problem
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 3
Summary
Mid-June brought the debut of “Outside Tonight,” a weekly YouTube late-night show from 26-year-old internet creator Julian Shapiro-Barnum, built with a desk, band, monologue, interviews and sketches.
YouTube is central to the experiment: the show has no media-company backing, is filmed outdoors in Brooklyn, and runs on a budget far below traditional late-night programs that can top $100 million.
That low-cost digital model targets a genre in crisis, with late-night ratings and advertising revenue falling and the number of broadcast, cable and streaming shows shrinking.
CBS already exited after canceling Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show,” saying losses reached $40 million last year, while ABC could also leave if Jimmy Kimmel retires.