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How two British geeks are ‘flipping’ American television in a new direction

James Corden's 'Carpool Karaoke' with Adele began his meteoric rise to stardom.

James Corden's 'Carpool Karaoke' with Adele began his meteoric rise to stardom. Photo: CBS

Two British late show hosts are using social media to propel themselves into living rooms globally – and leading a shakeup in the late night scene.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and the Late Late Show with James Corden both air in the competitive American late slot, and although both trail their more established competitors in broadcast ratings, each manage to produce viral videos every week.

In traditional ratings, James Corden is regularly beaten by Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers, while John Oliver attracts tens of millions more online video hits than eyes on screens for his weekly program.

Despite being little known when he began, Corden’s ‘Carpool Karaoke’ series was an international smash hit in 2016. It drew hundreds of millions of views online using the star power of guests such as Adele, Michelle Obama and Taylor Swift.

Cordon famously had to knock on publicist’s doors to “sell the vision” he had for his new show, The Daily Beast reported.

While he is a household name in the UK, he was virtually unknown in the US. But through his videos Corden, according to TIME, has “flipped late night [tv] on its head”.

Meanwhile, John Oliver has cemented his place as king of the viral rant, clocking up 64 million Facebook video views on his March takedown of Donald Trump.

His rants originally broadcast on his modestly watched weekly program, get tens of millions of extra views when posted to social media.

Michelle Obama gets the James Corden treatment:

The new class

British natives Corden and Oliver have brought fresh blood following the exit of time-slot stalwarts David Letterman, Jay Leno and Jon Stewart.

And while US late shows are typically segmented, Corden and Oliver’s trademark segments are made for YouTube.

Oliver, who started out as the British correspondent for The Late Show with Jon Stewart (he was recommended by Ricky Gervais), is the more serious of the pair and known for his political commentary.

Oliver’s biggest viral video hits generally involve the host expounding a strong opinion on a political or social issue, such as Brexit (7.3 million views) or Facebook privacy (7.9 million views).

Corden, on the other hand, sings with celebrities in cars – it’s that simple (with Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney and the Red Hot Chili Peppers).

Carpool Karaoke is a win-win for Corden and his guests: the celebrities get to minimise their times answering awkward questions, while Corden increases his visibility with a combined billion YouTube hits.

Source: Variety

Note, John Oliver does not feature as he is on once a week not each night. Source: Variety

The changing nature of late-night TV

In the time following the retirement of late-night legend David Letterman (after 33 years) and Jay Leno, the late night slot has flattened from the two-horse race it once was.

John Oliver weighs in on the Brexit aftermath.

Oliver’s rants get tens of millions of views. Photo: YouTube

Now, viewers are more likely to watch a segment of a variety of different late-night programs because they don’t have to stay up all night to do it.

As The Guardian‘s Elise Czajkowski pointed out earlier this year, young audiences are much more likely to watch an episode of Carpool Karaoke at lunch and a John Oliver rant at bedtime, than watch an entire late show.

“Late-night television is a no longer a glass of warm milk before bed. It’s a lunch buffet,” she wrote.

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