Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension from his late-night slot on American network ABC sparked outrage, boycotts, and furious claims of censorship. His return lasy week, however, pulled in a huge audience — more than six million live viewers and 26 million more online — and reignited a national debate about who really controls America’s television networks. 

At the heart of this row are the powerful corporations that own U.S. broadcast television: Disney (which owns ABC and ESPN), Comcast (which owns NBC and Telemundo), Paramount Global (which controls CBS), Fox Corporation (parent of the FOX network), and Nexstar Media Group (the country’s largest owner of local affiliate stations). Their decisions shape not only the fate of comedians like Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert, but also how political coverage reaches millions of Americans every night. 

Former President Donald Trump has accused the networks of bias and threatened their licences — a power regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. Meanwhile, billionaire figures like Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and media dynasties such as the Murdochs and Redstones remain closely tied to both the business and political sides of broadcasting. 

So how much of what Americans watch is decided by creative freedom, and how much by political pressure, business interests, or regulatory oversight? And what does the Kimmel controversy tell us about the future of free speech on television? 

In today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty is joined by U.S. media analyst Claire Atkinson, host of The Media Mix, to untangle the complicated, deeply political world of media control. 

👉 Follow Claire’s work on her Substack here: https://claireatkinson.substack.com