When it was announced in 2014 that Stephen Colbert would succeed David Letterman as host of the CBS “Late Show,” reaction was mixed. Letterman, who retired after helming the talk show for 22 years, had a loyal audience. At that point, Colbert was best known for playing a satirical version of himself on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”

Late-night television had been fighting for its survival even before “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was canceled this week.

It's difficult not to see how an ownership change impacted 'The Late Show' franchise, but the move also reveals stubborn truths about the cost of the programming vs. cheaper and infinite YouTube rivals.