Jimmy Fallon Launches New Reality Show ‘On Brand’ Amid TV Challenges

NEW YORK, NY — Jimmy Fallon is set to launch his new reality competition show, “On Brand,” on September 30 on NBC, aiming to revolutionize marketing campaigns for major brands. Fallon said he wants every brand involved in the show to track their performance before and after airing to assess the show’s impact.

With his lively personality and deep understanding of pop culture, Fallon has continually reinvented his brand as the host of “The Tonight Show” for over a decade. While Fallon has faced declining viewership, recently averaging 1.2 million viewers—a significant drop from earlier ratings—he remains one of the highest-paid hosts in television, with an estimated annual contract of $16 million.

Despite the pressure from the changing television landscape, which includes CBS’s abrupt cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Fallon has embraced his side hustle. His new show, “On Brand,” invites contestants with no marketing experience to present advertising pitches for notable companies, including Pillsbury and Dunkin’. The winning campaigns will go live the day after airing.

“It’s a new type of show, and I think it’s a new type of business model, too,” Fallon said. With his innate knack for branding, the comedian’s previous segments like “Thank You Notes” and viral games have showcased his creativity, earning him over 100 million social media followers.

However, the decline in ad revenue for “The Tonight Show”—down 35% over the past two years—has spurred NBC to cut its weekly episodes to four. The show will also air special editions on Sundays, relying on its lead-in from the popular Sunday Night Football.

In the competitive late-night arena, Fallon has managed to craft a unique position, balancing humor with marketing. Bozoma Saint John, his co-host on “On Brand,” praised Fallon’s ability to enhance ideas. “He has a real ability to take an idea and make it better. And that’s really what marketing is,” she said.

As Fallon prepares for the debut of “On Brand,” he remains optimistic about the show’s potential to shift brand fortunes. “I want every company that we’re working with to write down where they’re at right now and then see where they are after ‘On Brand’ happens,” he stated.