CBS’s “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” scored its first-ever weekly victory over NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” two weeks ago.
Or did it?
CBS would like to think so, NBC would like to argue no way.
CBS issued a release hyping a win for Ferguson for the week ended Feb. 10, but shortly after NBC pushed out numbers of its own seemingly contradicting CBS’s claim.
As it turns out, CBS counted the viewership for only four days of the week, leaving out the show that aired on Super Tuesday. The reason given: The show's name had been changed for the night to reflect the night's primary coverage, which it argued would disrupt normal viewing patterns.
On the days of Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Ferguson averaged 1.85 million total viewers to O’Brien’s 1.82 million viewers, giving Ferguson a win. The two tied in adults 25-54 with a 0.7 average rating.
But counting the full five days, as NBC has, Ferguson slips to 1.77 million total viewers, putting him back behind O'Brien.
Networks often drop a show when calculating a week's average if the show started late or if it aired on a recognized Nielsen holiday, such as Christmas or July 4. But as NBC notes, that Tuesday's Ferguson show began on time, and Super Tuesday is not a recognized Nielsen holiday.
The real reason for CBS dropping that Tuesday, contends NBC, is that Tuesdays are usually Ferguson’s least-popular night of the week. On 18 of 20 weeks this season, Tuesday has been the late-night host’s least-watched night.
And indeed on the Tuesday in question Ferguson averaged 1.44 million viewers, his lowest night of that week by nearly 200,000.
Still, you can’t really blame CBS for trying to pump up Ferguson’s results.
Things have gotten a bit tighter in late-late night over the past year, where only 200,000 viewers separate O’Brien, Ferguson and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and Ferguson is suddenly drawing a lot of attention outside of his show.
The Scotland native recently became a U.S. citizen, which was well promoted by CBS. And he’s hosting the upcoming White House Correspondents dinner, where the comic performances draw tons of scrutiny a la Stephen Colbert’s polarizing bit two years ago.
Meanwhile, in other late-night ratings for the week ended Feb. 10, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” finished first for the week, averaging 4.8 million total viewers and a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’s “The Late Show with David Letterman” had 3.9 million viewers and a 1.2 rating in the demo, with ABC’s “Nightline” bringing in 3.6 million viewers and a 1.1 18-49 rating. In late-late night, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” had 1.8 million viewers and a 0.6, and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” brought in 1.0 million viewers and a 0.4 among 18-49s.
Meanwhile, in other dayparts for the week ended Feb. 10, NBC’s “Meet the Press” was first yet again among the Sunday morning shows in total viewers with 4.5 million tuning in and was also first among viewers 25-54 with a 1.2 rating. CBS’s “Face the Nation” was second in viewers with 3.01 million and tied for second among 25-54s with a 0.9, with ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” pulling 2.92 million viewers and a 0.9 among 25-54s. “Fox News Sunday” averaged 1.47 million viewers and a 0.6 rating among 25-54s.
In morning shows, NBC’s “Today” was first with 6.0 million total viewers and a 4.6 household rating and 15 share, followed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” with 5.0 million viewers and a 3.8/13. CBS’s “Early Show” was third with 3.1 million total viewers and a 2.4/8.
CBS once again had the largest full daytime audience during the week, averaging 4 million viewers, but was tied for second among women 18-49 with a 1.4 rating. ABC had the second-largest audience, averaging 3.04 million viewers, and was also tied for second among women 18-49 with a 1.4 rating. NBC had a full daytime audience of 2.98 million but led among women 18-49 with a 1.7 rating.
In evening network news for the week ended Feb. 17, ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson” was first among total viewers, averaging 9.44 million, as well as among 25-54s with a 2.5 average rating. NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” was second in viewers, averaging 9.41 million, and among 25-54s with a 2.4, while CBS’s “Evening News with Katie Couric” was third for the week with 6.98 million total viewers and a 1.8 25-54 rating.
|
SUNDAY MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week ending February 10, 2008
Sunday averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
|
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Adults 25-54 |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Meet the Press |
NBC |
3.4 |
9 |
1.2 |
4.497 |
|
Face the Nation |
CBS |
2.2 |
6 |
0.9 |
3.007 |
|
This Week With George Stephanopoulos |
ABC |
2.2 |
6 |
0.9 |
2.915 |
|
News Sunday |
Fox |
1.1 |
3 |
0.6 |
1.474 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
LATE-NIGHT RATINGS
Week Ending February 10, 2008
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Total viewers (millions) |
Rtg% |
|
Tonight Show with Jay Leno |
NBC |
4.8 |
1.4 |
|
Late Show with David Letterman |
CBS |
3.9 |
1.2 |
|
Nightline |
ABC |
3.6 |
1.1 |
|
Late Night with Conan O’Brien |
NBC |
1.8 |
0.7 |
|
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson |
CBS |
1.8 |
0.6 |
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live |
ABC |
1.8 |
0.6 |
|
Last Call with
Carson Daly |
NBC |
1.0 |
0.4 |
|
Source: NTI
|
|
MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week Ending February 10, 2008
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Today |
NBC |
4.6 |
15 |
6.0 |
|
Good Morning
America |
ABC |
3.8 |
13 |
5.0 |
|
Early Show |
CBS |
2.4 |
8 |
3.1 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
DAYTIME RATINGS
Week Ending February 10, 2008
Five-day averages |
|
|
Total viewers (millions) |
Women 18-49 |
|
Network |
(millions) |
Rtg% |
|
CBS |
4.00 |
1.4 |
|
ABC |
3.04 |
1.4 |
|
NBC |
2.98 |
1.7 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
EVENING NETWORK NEWS RATINGS
Week Ending February 17, 2008
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
25-54s |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
ABC World News with Charles Gibson |
ABC |
2.5 |
9.440 |
|
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams |
NBC |
2.4 |
9.410 |
|
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric |
CBS |
1.8 |
6.980 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
SYNDICATION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending February 10, 2008
|
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
US
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
|
CTD
|
8.3
|
9347
|
|
2
|
JEOPARDY
|
CTD
|
6.9
|
7754
|
|
3
|
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW
|
CTD
|
5.7
|
6480
|
|
4
|
TWO-HALF MEN-SYN (AT)
|
WB
|
5.3
|
6029
|
|
4
|
JUDGE JUDY (AT)
|
CTD
|
5.3
|
5925
|
|
6
|
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)
|
CTD
|
4.8
|
5362
|
|
7
|
DR. PHIL SHOW (AT)
|
CTD
|
4.7
|
5357
|
|
8
|
WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND
|
CTD
|
4.5
|
5078
|
|
9
|
CSI MIAMI-SYN (AT)
|
CTD
|
4.4
|
4950
|
|
9
|
FAMILY GUY-MF-SYN (AT)
|
2/T
|
4.4
|
4943
|
|
11
|
SEINFELD (AT)
|
SPT
|
4.1
|
4632
|
|
12
|
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN(AT)
|
CTD
|
3.9
|
4387
|
|
13
|
SEINFELD-WKND (AT)
|
SPT
|
3.8
|
4289
|
|
13
|
LAW & ORDER:SVU-SYN (AT)
|
NBU
|
3.8
|
4283
|
|
15
|
INSIDE EDITION
|
CTD
|
3.6
|
4096
|
|
16
|
GEORGE LOPEZ (AT)
|
WB
|
3.1
|
3544
|
|
16
|
KING OF QUEENS-SYN (AT)
|
SPT
|
3.1
|
3510
|
|
16
|
LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY
|
DAD
|
3.1
|
3501
|
|
19
|
MILLIONAIRE (AT)
|
DAD
|
3
|
3429
|
|
20
|
FRIENDS (AT)
|
WB
|
2.9
|
3319
|
|
20
|
KING OF QUEENS-WKND (AT)
|
SPT
|
2.9
|
3290
|
|
22
|
JUDGE JOE BROWN (AT)
|
CTD
|
2.8
|
3197
|
|
23
|
GEORGE LOPEZ WKND B (AT)
|
WB
|
2.7
|
3051
|
|
23
|
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT WKD
|
CTD
|
2.7
|
3014
|
|
25
|
EVBDY LVS RAYMOND-WKD-SYN
|
CTD
|
2.6
|
2973
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
