DISNEY’S DANA WALDEN ON JIMMY KIMMEL’S LATE NIGHT FUTURE: “It’s a Challenging Daypart.”

Speculation about Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘s future has swirled since an early September Page Six story claimed Kimmel’s contract wouldn’t be renewed. ABC quickly denied that was the case, but other reports said the network is looking for significant budget cuts to keep the show going.

“The truth is, it’s a very challenging daypart,” Walden said Thursday at the Bloomberg event. “That’s not to say that Jimmy is not doing a phenomenal job, and his ratings are up. But they’re up relative to a smaller audience that’s watching late night on broadcast television.”

Kimmel and the show also have a big presence on YouTube and social media platforms, but those views and clicks bring in a fraction of the revenue that on-air advertising does. “That is not a lucrative opportunity for a very premium talk show,” said Walden.

As Stephen Krusier asked in May: Now That Colbert Is Gone, Can We Start the Clock on Kimmel? “Kimmel will no doubt use Colbert’s absence as an excuse to become more execrable than ever. ABC can keep him afloat for a while. The network is still a for-profit business, though, and not a weeknightly charity for the Democratic National Committee. ABC execs will almost certainly take a cue from their counterparts at CBS. Kimmel’s petulant attitude won’t do him any favors, either.”