Seth Meyers took aim at the competition Monday morning during NBCUniversal‘s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York City.
“We have taken down CBS,” said the late-night host, referring to the fact that, for the first time in nearly two decades, NBC rather than CBS will take the broadcast crown for total viewers in the TV season. “Well, the Ellisons did, but I like to think we helped.”
Meyers — who is actually set to appear on CBS Monday night with fellow the Strike Force Five members Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and John Oliver to kick off the final week of The Late Show with his friend and network rival Stephen Colbert — kept the digs coming by taking some guesses as to how the Ellisons’ close ties to the Trump administration might become more apparent on Paramount’s TV networks in the coming years.
“Seriously, what’s going on over there? They’re so in the pocket for Trump that I heard, next year, Survivor is in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
Meyers also pointed out that, unlike NBCU’s flashy two-hour presentation at Radio City Music Hall, Paramount opted for a much quieter presence with advertisers. The company hosted several smaller presentations across the country, including in L.A. and New York City, as well as a few intimate dinners with clients and talent.
“CBS did not hold an upfront presentation this year because ‘CBS up front’ just describes how they paid Trump to drop the lawsuit,” he joked.
While Paramount certainly took the brunt of the jokes in Meyers’ 10-minute laugh session, the comedian spread the love around quite a bit to NBCUniversal’s other competitors — and even lobbed a few wisecracks at his own employers.
The comedian, of course, mentioned Paramount’s winning bid to buy Warner Bros., adding, “Comcast actually made a bid too, but no one thought we were actually gonna get it. It was kind of like that one friend who always pretends to reach for his wallet after the check comes. ‘No, no. Comcast, you can get it next time, bud.’”
Speaking of the eventual joint streaming service that would combine Paramount+ and HBO Max once the studios merge, Meyers added: “So now you’ll get all your favorites in one place … speaking of streamers, Comcast said on its most recent earnings call that Peacock is approaching profitability in the same way Kevin Hart is approaching seven feet tall.”
“But it’s an exciting time for Peacock. Season 8 of Love Island USA is set to premiere in June, so please, please get the HPV vaccine. If you’re the ad rep for Valtrex, what are you waiting for? Love Island is back. That’s Love Island, the show President Trump calls, ‘I never went there,’” he continued. “NBCUniversal poached Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan last year from Paramount in a deal worth a reported $1 billion, which means I’m finally going to get a call from my dad asking, ‘What channel is NBC on?’”
NBCUniversal kicked off a busy week of upfronts presentations across New York City. Fox and Amazon will also host presentations Monday, with Disney to come on Tuesday and Netflix on Wednesday.
Speaking of the streaming behemoth, Meyers teased: “Netflix is hosting its upfronts this year on the Hudson River, because once a Netflix show hits two seasons, that’s where they dump its body.”
