Late Night TV Ratings

Category | Late Night TV Ratings

“Nightline” is #1 In Total Viewers For The Week

Posted on 02 July 2009 by Bill Gorman

via press release:

Ratings Report for ABC News’ “Nightline”

For the Week of June 22, 2009

“NIGHTLINE” IS #1 FOR WEEK OF JUNE 22nd AMONG TOTAL VIEWERS–

OUTPERFORMS “CONAN” AND “LETTERMAN” IN ORIGINALS

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‘Nightline’ Tops Letterman, Conan in Total Viewers

Posted on 02 July 2009 by Bill Gorman

ABC News’ Nightline became the most-watched program in late night for the week of June 22, buoyed by coverage of President Obama’s health care plan and the death of Michael Jackson. The show averaged 3.89 million total viewers, topping both the Tonight Show (3.69 million) and the Late Show (3.46 million).

The win marked the first victory for Nightline over The Tonight Show and The Late Show since election week in November 2008. The show increased in viewers by 25% from the same week last year and by 28% week-to-week, as well as by 40% among viewers 25-54.

Nightline beat Letterman in ratings both in the 25-54 and 18-49 demo, with a 1.3 and 1.0 respectively, topping the Late Show’s 1.0 and 0.8. The Tonight Show still garnered the highest ratings both among 25-54 (1.6) and 18-49 (1.4). The Tonight Show led among viewers in both demos as well. However, the loss in total viewers for the second straight week, marked the first time since 1996 the Tonight Show hadn’t placed first for two weeks in a row, excluding the 2007 writer’s strike.

Nightline sells ads against its target demo of 25-54 year old viewers, while the entertainment late night shows target 18-49s.

via Broadcasting & Cable.

Conan Wins Week Four In Every Key Ratings Demo

Posted on 02 July 2009 by Bill Gorman

NBC spins the numbers in the Conan vs. Dave Late Night battle.

via press release:

CONAN WINS WEEK FOUR IN EVERY KEY RATINGS DEMO AS WELL AS IN TOTAL VIEWERS

‘THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O’BRIEN’ DOMINATES ITS FOURTH WEEK OVER ‘LATE SHOW’ IN EVERY IMPORTANT DEMO – ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-34, 18-49 AND 25-54

CONAN TOPS ‘LATE SHOW’ ON EACH OF THE FIVE NIGHTS OF THE WEEK IN ALL THE KEY ADULT DEMOS ? ADULTS 18-34, ADULTS 18-49 AND ADULTS 25-54

CONAN HAS INCREASED ‘TONIGHT’S’ DEMO DOMINANCE, WINNING THE WEEK BY A 77 PERCENT MARGIN OVER ‘LATE SHOW,’ UP FROM A 67 PERCENT MARGIN LAST WEEK AND A 34 PERCENT LEAD EARLIER THIS SEASON

CONAN DELIVERS DECISIVE DEMO MARGINS OVER ALL BROADCAST AND CABLE COMPETITION FOR THE WEEK

CONAN’S AUDIENCE IS MORE THAN 10 YEARS YOUNGER THAN ‘LATE SHOW’S,’ AND CONAN IS EVEN YOUNGER THAN HE WAS ON ‘LATE NIGHT’ FOR THE SAME WEEK LAST YEAR

JIMMY FALLON WINS AT 12:35 A.M. BY A 74 PERCENT MARGIN, UP FROM 28 PERCENT FOR THE SAME WEEK LAST YEAR; IN MEDIAN AGE, JIMMY IS NINE YEARS YOUNGER THAN ‘LATE LATE SHOW’

CARSON DALY TIES FERGUSON AND KIMMEL IN 18-49 AND 18-34 RATING

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. ? July 2, 2009 – “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” has dominated key late-night ratings for the week of June 22-26, out-delivering CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” in every important demographic – adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ? while also prevailing in total viewers. Also of note, “Tonight” beat CBS’s “Late Show” in all key adult demographics ? adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ? on all of the five nights of the week. Conan has won 20 of 20 nights to date over “Late Show” in adults 18-49 and virtually every other important demographic.

Conan’s “Tonight” dominated the week in every key demographic, stretching his leads versus the same week last year and compared with the “Tonight” season-to-date average. Conan won the week by a 77 percent margin in adult 18-49 viewers (1.851 million adults 18-49 vs. 1.047 million for “Late Show”), up from a 67 percent margin the previous week, a 10 percent margin during the same week last year (when “Tonight” was in rebroadcast) and up from a 34 percent “Tonight” margin for the season through the end of May.

In 18-49 rating, the “Tonight” advantage over “Late Show” this week was 75 percent (1.4 for “Tonight” vs. 0.8 for “Late Show”), “Tonight’s” widest margin over Letterman in this demo rating since Conan’s premiere week.

In the younger half of the key 18-49 demographic, adults 18-34, Conan won the week by a towering 180 percent margin (895,000 adults 18-34 vs. “Late Show’s” 320,000), up from a 164 percent margin the previous week and a 50 percent margin for “Tonight” this season through the end of May.

Among adult 25-54 viewers, Conan topped CBS’s “Late Show” by a 51 percent margin (1.967 million for “Tonight” vs. 1.299 million for “Late Show”) and among total viewers, Conan topped Letterman by seven percent (3.691 million vs. 3.464 million).

Conan also defeated all other broadcast and cable competition in the time period last week, delivering double- or triple-digit leads over the top cable networks in the time period among key demos: by 75 percent in adult 18-49 rating (1.4 vs. 0.8 for Adult Swim), 17 percent in adult 18-34 rating (1.4 vs. 1.2 for Adult Swim) and 100 percent in adult 25-54 rating (1.4 vs. 0.7 for USA). Conan’s 1.4 rating in adults 18-49 also decisively outscored Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” (0.8) and “Colbert Report” (0.5).

NBC’s late-night demographic surge extends to 12:35 a.m. ET, where “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” out-delivered CBS’s “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” in 18-49 viewers by a 74 percent margin last week (975,000 adults 18-49 vs. 559,000 for “Late Late Show”), up from a 60 percent margin the previous week, a 28 percent margin for the same week last year and up from Jimmy’s 46 percent margin through the end of May. In total viewers, Jimmy’s 1.769 million beat Ferguson’s 1.576 million; and in adults 18-34, Jimmy’s 505,000 topped Ferguson’s 217,000. Jimmy Fallon’s 505,000 adults 18-34 also beat Letterman (320,000), despite Jimmy’s later start time.

The median age of Conan’s audience last week was 47.3, more than 10 years younger than Letterman’s 57.5. Conan is also younger than he was a year ago on “Late Night,” where the median age of his audience for this same week one year ago was 47.5.

At 12:35 a.m. ET, the median age of Jimmy Fallon’s audience was 44.6, more than nine years younger than the 54.2 for “Late Late Show.” ABC’s “Nightline” (55.9) and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (54.1) are also significantly older than “Tonight” and “Late Night.”

At 1:35 a.m. ET, “Last Call with Carson Daly” tied the adult 18-49 ratings of “Late Late Show” and “Kimmel” (0.4 rating). “Last Call” also tied “Late Late Show” and “Kimmel” in adult 18-34 rating (0.3).

WEEKLY AVERAGES
(According to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research for the week of June 22-26. Ratings reflect “live plus same day” data unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of “live plus seven day” data except for the two most recent weeks, which are “live plus same day.”)

ADULTS 18-49

11:35 p.m. ET
NBC “Tonight,” 1.4 rating, 6 share
CBS “Late Show,” 0.8/3
ABC “Nightline,” 1.0/4

12:05 a.m. ET
ABC “Kimmel,” 0.4/2*

12:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Late Night,” 0.7/4
CBS “Late Late Show,” 0.4/2

1:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Last Call,” 0.4/3*

TOTAL VIEWERS

11:35 p.m. ET
NBC “Tonight,” 3.7 million viewers
CBS “Late Show,” 3.5 million viewers
ABC “Nightline,” 3.9 million viewers

12:05 a.m. ET
ABC “Kimmel,” 1.4 million viewers*

12:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Late Night,” 1.8 million viewers
CBS “Late Late Show,” 1.6 million viewers

1:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Last Call,” 0.9 million viewers*

* Monday’s “Last Call” and “Kimmel” telecasts were encores.

SEASON TO DATE

ADULTS 18-49

11:35 p.m. ET
NBC “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” 1.8/7
CBS “Late Show,” 1.0/4
ABC “Nightline,” 1.1/4

12:05 a.m. ET
ABC “Kimmel,” 0.6/3

12:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” 0.8/5
CBS “Late Late Show,” 0.6/3

1:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Last Call,” 0.5/3

TOTAL VIEWERS

11:35 p.m. ET
NBC “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” 4.4 million viewers
CBS “Late Show,” 3.8 million viewers
ABC “Nightline,” 3.8 million viewers

12:05 a.m. ET
ABC “Kimmel,” 1.7 million viewers

12:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” 2.1 million viewers
CBS “Late Late Show,” 1.9 million viewers

1:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Last Call,” 1.1 million viewers

SELECTED CABLE RESULTS, WEEK OF JUNE 22-26

NATIONAL ADULT 18-49 RATING

Comedy Central, 11 p.m. ET, “The Daily Show,” 0.8
Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. ET, “The Colbert Report,” 0.6

Adult Swim, 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET, 0.8
Adult Swim, 12:30-1:30 a.m. ET, 0.5

Each adult 18-49 rating point equals 1.32 million viewers

TOTAL VIEWERS

Comedy Central, 11 p.m. ET, “The Daily Show,” 1.8 million
Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. ET, “The Colbert Report,” 1.3 million

Adult Swim, 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET, 2.0 million
Adult Swim, 12:30-1:30 a.m. ET, 1.2 million

Nightline Wins Friday — Besting “Conan” and “Letterman” for the Third Night in a Row

Posted on 29 June 2009 by Bill Gorman

via press release:

Quick Take for Friday, June 26, 2009

(Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

“Nightline” Wins Friday — Besting “Conan” and “Letterman” for the Third Night in a Row According to Fast Affiliates

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Late Show with David Letterman Tops The Tonight Show Among Viewers For the Week

Posted on 25 June 2009 by Bill Gorman

Here is NBC’s spin on the same numbers for the week.

via press release:

“Late Show with David Letterman” Tops “The Tonight Show”

Among Viewers in a Full Week of Original Broadcasts for the First Time Since 2005

“Late Show” Continues To Narrow the Gap in Adults 18-49

“The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” Closes the Gap with “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”

CBS’s LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN beat “The Tonight Show” in viewers for the first time in a full week of original broadcasts since December 2005, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for the week ending June 19, the third week since Conan O’Brien took over as host of “The Tonight Show.”

LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN delivered a 2.5/06 in households with an average of 3.46m viewers, up +14% in households (from 2.2/06) and +13% in viewers (from 3.05m) compared to the same week last year.

LATE SHOW beat “The Tonight Show” in households (2.5/06 vs. 2.3/06, +9%) and viewers (3.46m vs. 3.32m, +4%).  LATE SHOW beat “The Tonight Show” in viewers against an all-first run week of “Tonight Show” broadcasts for the first time since the week ending December 2, 2005 (the week Oprah Winfrey appeared on LATE SHOW).

LATE SHOW has also narrowed the gap with “The Tonight Show” in adults 18-49, trailing by just -0.5 this week, compared to -0.6 last week and by -1.4 rating points in Conan O’Brien’s premiere week.

THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON posted a 1.2/04 in households with 1.55m viewers, up +9% in households (from 1.1/04) and +7% in viewers (from 1.44m) compared to the same week last year.

LATE LATE SHOW tied “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” in households (1.2/04, each).  LATE LATE SHOW beat “Late Night” on two nights in viewers:  Monday (1.63m vs. 1.61m) and Thursday (1.66m vs. 1.43m).  LATE LATE SHOW was in its closest competitive position with “Late Night” since the week ending May 8, 2009 in both households and viewers and since the week ending May 22, 2009 in both adults 18-49 and adults 18-34.

Conan Beats Letterman In the Demos Every Night Of The Week

Posted on 25 June 2009 by Bill Gorman

I bolded the past week’s relevant Conan v. Dave numbers.

Here is CBS’s spin on the same week’s numbers.

via press release:

CONAN WINS WEEK THREE IN EVERY KEY RATINGS DEMO ON EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK

‘THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O’BRIEN’ DOMINATES ITS THIRD WEEK OVER ‘LATE SHOW’ IN EVERY IMPORTANT DEMO – ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-34, 18-49 AND 25-54 – DESPITE ‘LATE SHOW’S’ PALIN BOOST

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Nightline outperforms Letterman with adults 18-49

Posted on 18 June 2009 by Robert Seidman

via ABC press release:

“NIGHTLINE” OUTPERFORMS “LETTERMAN” AMONG ADULTS 18-49

WEEK TO WEEK “NIGHTLINE” GROWS THE MOST

IN TOTAL VIEWERS AND A25-54

“NIGHTLINE” BEATS “TONIGHT” IN TOTAL VIEWERS TWICE IN ONE WEEK

For the week of June 8, 2009, Conan O’Brien’s second week as host of the “Tonight Show,” ABC News’ “Nightline” outperformed CBS’ “Late Show with David Letterman” among Adults 18-49 while continuing to cut into “Tonight’s” lead. “Nightline” also outperformed “Conan” among Total Viewers on Tuesday (3.50 vs. 3.47 million) and Friday (3.79 vs. 3.69 million) of last week.

Week to week, “Nightline” experienced the most growth among both Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 (+7% in both). By contrast, “Conan” declined -38% among Total Viewers and -35% in the key A25-54 demo from his first week. Also week to week, ABC narrowed the total viewing gap with NBC by 87% (360,000) and closed the A25-54 gap by 67% (600,000).

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Posting its Best Numbers in Viewers and Adults 18-49 Since March, Jimmy Kimmel Live Delivers its Strongest Summer Performance in 3 Years

Posted on 18 June 2009 by Robert Seidman

via ABC press release:

Posting its Best Numbers in Viewers and Adults 18-49 Since March,

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” Delivers its Strongest Summer Performance in 3 Years

For the First Time Ever, “JKL” Outdraws “Fallon” in Viewers Twice in One Week

“JKL’s” Thursday Telecast Tops an Original Telecast of

CBS’ “Late Show with David Letterman” In Adults 18-49 for the First Time Ever

“JKL” Betters CBS’ “Late Show Late Show with Craig Ferguson”

In Adults 18-49 by 20%, its Largest Margin in Nearly 1 Year

Weekly National Ratings:

During the week of June 8, 2009, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” registered solid double-digit increases over the previous week of 26% in Total Viewers (1.68 million vs. 1.33 million) and 35% in Adults 18-49 (795,000 vs. 589,000), drawing its best numbers in both Nielsen measures since March – since weeks of 3/23/09 and 3/2/09, respectively. In fact, “JKL” turned in its best performance during the summer in 3 years – since week of 6/19/06.

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