It will be months before it’s clear whether Jimmy Fallon can hang onto Conan O’Brien’s audience as the new host of NBC’s “Late Night.” But he’s off to a good start.
Each of Fallon’s first two telecasts have improved on O’Brien’s season-to-date average and scored some of the show’s strongest ratings in months.
Tuesday night, the most recent available from Nielsen, “Night” averaged a 2.0 metered-market household rating, the show’s best Tuesday rating since Dec. 23. It was up 11 percent over O’Brien’s 1.8 season average, though it was down 13 percent from Fallon’s premiere Monday night, which averaged a strong 2.3.
The debut marked “Night’s” best Monday rating in more than three years, and it was the best premiere for any recent late-late night program, bettering a 2.0 for ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in 2003 and a 1.8 for “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” four years ago.
The competition brought in some big-name guests Monday in hopes of denting Fallon’s numbers, and to some degree it worked.
Though “Live” doesn’t compete directly with “Night,” as it begins at 12:05 a.m. to the latter’s 12:35 a.m., Kimmel’s guest, “Bachelor” cad Jason Mesnick, boosted the show to its best Monday rating ever, a 2.5. But Fallon bested Kimmel with a 2.7 to the latter’s 2.3 in the half-hour they competed directly against one another.
CBS’s “Late Late” also tried to blunt Fallon with a big name, Paris Hilton, but the show managed just a 1.7 rating.
Though “Night’s” rating declined on Tuesday night, it was still well ahead of the competition, their stunting now played out, posting a 33 percent advantage over “Late Late” and 64 percent over “Live” during the time they air together.
Still, it will be quite some time before NBC knows whether Fallon will continue O’Brien’s dominance in the timeslot or whether viewers are just satisfying their curiosity. The network put a huge promotional push behind “Night’s” relaunch, running promos for Fallon during primetime and plastering him on the NBC.com homepage.
In fact, its best hope may be that Fallon simply builds a bit of a lead on Ferguson, who had been gaining on O’Brien this year. When O’Brien left last month, he had won more than 10 seasons straight in late-late night.
TV critics agree that Fallon, while extremely energetic, will need more time to find his comfort zone as a host.
"Ferguson has created something original and personal over on CBS, and whether Fallon will get to be nearly as good, or even mount a decent interview with a person he doesn't already know, remains to be seen," writes Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times.
***
Meanwhile, in other daypart ratings for the week ended Feb. 22, NBC’s “Meet the Press” was first among the Sunday morning shows in total viewers with 4.14 million tuning in and among viewers 25-54 with a 1.2 rating. CBS’s “Face the Nation” was second in viewers with 3.64 million, and tied for second among 25-54s with a 1.1, with ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” pulling 3.52 million viewers and a 1.0 among 25-54s. “Fox News Sunday” averaged 1.51 million viewers and a 0.4 rating among 25-54s.
In late night, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” was first for the week, averaging 5.2 million total viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Nightline” had 3.8 million viewers and a 1.1 rating in the demo, with CBS’s “The Late Show with David Letterman” pulling 3.7 million viewers and a 1.0. In late-late night, NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” had 2.4 million total viewers and a 1.0 in 18-49s, including O’Brien’s final episode, with CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” averaging 1.9 million viewers and a 0.5 in 18-49s. ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” averaged 1.7 million viewers and a 0.6 (with a Monday encore), and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” brought in 1.3 million viewers and a 0.5 among 18-49s (also with a Monday encore).
In morning shows, NBC’s “Today” was first with 5.8 million total viewers and a 4.4 household rating and 15 share, followed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” with 4.5 million viewers and a 3.4/12. CBS’s “Early Show” was third with 2.8 million total viewers and a 2.2/8.
CBS had the largest full daytime audience during the week, averaging 3.67 million viewers, but was tied for second among women 18-49 with a 1.2 rating. ABC had the second-largest audience, averaging 3.13 million viewers, and was also tied for second among women 18-49 with a 1.2 rating. NBC had a full daytime audience of 3.02 million but led among women 18-49 with a 1.4 rating.
In evening network news for the week ended March 1, NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” was first among total viewers, averaging 9.3 million, and among 25-54s with a 2.4 average rating. ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson” was second in viewers, averaging 8.4 million, and in 25-54s with a 2.1 rating, while CBS’s “Evening News with Katie Couric” was third for the week with 6.4 million total viewers and a 1.5 25-54 rating.
|
SUNDAY MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week ending February 22, 2009
Sunday averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
|
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Adults 25-54 |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Meet the Press |
NBC |
3.0 |
8 |
1.2 |
4.143 |
|
Face the Nation |
CBS |
2.5 |
7 |
1.1 |
3.637 |
|
This Week With George Stephanopoulos |
ABC |
2.5 |
6 |
1.0
|
3.523 |
|
News Sunday |
Fox |
1.1 |
3 |
0.4 |
1.506 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
LATE-NIGHT RATINGS
Week Ending February 22, 2009
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Total viewers (millions) |
Rtg% |
|
Tonight Show with Jay Leno |
NBC |
5.2 |
1.5 |
|
Nightline |
ABC |
3.8 |
1.1 |
|
Late Show with David Letterman |
CBS |
3.7 |
1.0 |
|
Late Night with Conan O’Brien |
NBC |
2.4 |
1.0 |
|
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson |
CBS |
1.9 |
0.5 |
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live* |
ABC |
1.7 |
0.6 |
|
Last Call with
Carson Daly* |
NBC |
1.3 |
0.5 |
|
* Monday's "Last Call" and "Kimmel" were encores.
Source: NTI
|
|
MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week Ending February 22, 2009
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Today |
NBC |
4.4 |
15 |
5.8 |
|
Good Morning
America |
ABC |
3.4 |
12 |
4.5 |
|
Early Show |
CBS |
2.2 |
8 |
2.8 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
DAYTIME RATINGS
Week Ending February 22, 2008
Five-day averages |
|
|
Total viewers (millions) |
Women 18-49 |
|
Network |
(millions) |
Rtg% |
|
CBS |
3.67 |
1.2 |
|
ABC |
3.13 |
1.2 |
|
NBC |
3.02 |
1.4 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
EVENING NETWORK NEWS RATINGS
Week Ending March 1, 2009
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
25-54s |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams |
NBC |
2.4 |
9.3 |
|
ABC World News with Charles Gibson |
ABC |
2.1 |
8.4 |
|
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric |
CBS |
1.5 |
6.4 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
SYNDICATION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending February 22, 2008
|
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
US
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
|
CTD
|
7.6
|
8664
|
|
2
|
JEOPARDY
|
CTD
|
6.3
|
7256
|
|
3
|
TWO-HALF MEN-SYN (AT)
|
WB
|
5.5
|
6252
|
|
4
|
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW
|
CTD
|
4.6
|
5299
|
|
4
|
JUDGE JUDY (AT)
|
CTD
|
4.6
|
5239
|
|
6
|
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)
|
CTD
|
4.5
|
5097
|
|
7
|
FAMILY GUY-MF-SYN (AT)
|
2/T
|
4.1
|
4690
|
|
8
|
SEINFELD (AT)
|
SPT
|
3.8
|
4304
|
|
9
|
DR. PHIL SHOW (AT)
|
CTD
|
3.6
|
4069
|
|
10
|
CSI NEW YORK-SYN(AT)
|
CTD
|
3.5
|
3955
|
|
11
|
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN(AT)
|
CTD
|
3.4
|
3873
|
|
12
|
WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND
|
CTD
|
3.3
|
3832
|
|
12
|
INSIDE EDITION (AT)
|
CTD
|
3.3
|
3755
|
|
14
|
LAW & ORDER:SVU-SYN (AT)
|
NBU
|
3.1
|
3551
|
|
15
|
SEINFELD-WKND (AT)
|
SPT
|
2.9
|
3363
|
|
16
|
KING OF QUEENS-SYN (AT)
|
SPT
|
2.7
|
3141
|
|
16
|
GEORGE LOPEZ (AT)
|
WB
|
2.7
|
3109
|
|
16
|
KING OF THE HILL-SYN(AT)
|
2/T
|
2.7
|
3095
|
|
16
|
HOUSE OF PAYNE MF-SYN(AT)
|
2/T
|
2.7
|
3049
|
|
16
|
LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY
|
DAD
|
2.7
|
3048
|
|
16
|
FRIENDS (AT)
|
WB
|
2.7
|
3042
|
|
22
|
TWO-HALF MEN WKND B (AT)
|
WB
|
2.6
|
2928
|
|
23
|
MILLIONAIRE (AT)
|
DAD
|
2.4
|
2805
|
|
23
|
JUDGE JOE BROWN (AT)
|
CTD
|
2.4
|
2700
|
|
25
|
ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW
|
WB
|
2.3
|
2643
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
