medialifemagazine.com
Late night TV returns with a hefty roar
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jan 4, 2008 - 1:10:26 AM
After nearly three months of enduring late-night reruns, viewers turned out in droves to watch original episodes on Wednesday night, when the five major broadcast talk programs returned following a long break due to the writers’ strike.
NBC and CBS’s programs were all well above their previous season averages, according to Nielsen fast nationals.
But it was the two shows that returned without writers, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” that saw the biggest audiences, both hitting season highs.
Leno averaged a 7.19 million total viewers, up 66 percent over the program’s 4.32 million season average in the 11:35 p.m. slot. (All averages include reruns during the strike.) It marked the show’s best outing since December 2006 and its best Wednesday viewership in almost three years.
At 12:35 p.m., O’Brien averaged 2.83 million total viewers, 55 percent above his season average of 1.83 million. It was the show’s best outing since February of last year and its best Wednesday in more than a year.
CBS’s two late-night shows also saw big improvements versus their season averages. Both returned with writing staffs after an independent deal was struck between Worldwide Pants, which produces the shows, and the Writers Guild of America.
Airing at 11:35 p.m., Letterman averaged a season-high 5.5 million total viewers, 52 percent better than his season-to-date average of 3.61 million though still well behind regular late-night leader Leno. “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” averaged 2.24 million at 12:35 p.m., more than a half million behind O’Brien but 31 percent above his season-to-date average of 1.71 million.
Usual third-place finisher “Jimmy Kimmel Live” also returned at 12:05 a.m. Likely because of the stronger-than-usual competition, the ABC show was actually 5 percent below its season to date average of 1.84 million, drawing 1.75 million.
The CBS and NBC shows no doubt got much of their rise from fans who have missed watching fresh late-night programming the past three months, when ratings for reruns plummeted.
But NBC’s especially strong night suggests that perhaps viewers were more interested in seeing how the comedians would do without writing staffs. Leno, O’Brien and Kimmel returned without writers after their respective networks threatened to lay off their remaining staff, and the WGA has bitterly protested their returns despite repeated assertions by all three that they support the guild. Leno and the WGA are now battling over whether he can write for himself.
Thus viewers may have been curious to see what a show without writers looks like. Can late-night hosts be as witty without a writing staff? Both Leno, a stand-up veteran, and O’Brien still managed some good zingers, especially when riffing on the strike and its consequences, and the curiosity factor could keep people tuning in to these shows for some time, if the lack of big-name guests doesn’t drive them away.
The Screen Actors Guild, which has stood in solidarity with the WGA, is reportedly encouraging its members to stick to union-approved late-night shows until the strike is over, meaning those on CBS. Wednesday night Leno’s big guest, Mike Huckabee, was a politician, while Letterman landed Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams.
Meanwhile, during Christmas week, viewership for the late-night reruns remained below average. Leno finished first for the week, averaging 3.8 million total viewers and a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’s Letterman had 3.7 million viewers and a 1.1 rating in the demo, with ABC’s “Nightline” bringing in 3.3 million viewers and a 1.0 18-49 rating. In late-late night, Ferguson had 1.7 million total viewers and a 0.6 in 18-49s, with Kimmel and O’Brien each at 1.6 million viewers and a 0.6, and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” bringing in 1.0 million viewers and a 0.4 among 18-49s.
In other dayparts for the week ended Dec.23, NBC’s “Meet the Press” was first among the Sunday morning shows in total viewers with 3.53 million tuning in and first among viewers 25-54 with a 0.9 rating. CBS’s “Face the Nation” was second in viewers with nearly 2.59 million and tied for second among 25-54s with a 0.8, with ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” pulling 2.25 million viewers and a 0.7 among 25-54s. “Fox News Sunday” was fourth in viewers with 1.57 million and among 25-54s with a 0.6.
In morning shows, NBC’s “Today” was first with 5.7 million total viewers and a 4.5 household rating and 15 share, followed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” with 4.8 million viewers and a 3.8/13. CBS’s “Early Show” was third with 2.9 million total viewers and a 2.3/8.
CBS had the largest full daytime audience, averaging 4.1 million viewers, but was third among women 18-49 with a 1.2 rating. ABC had the second-largest audience, averaging 2.82 million viewers, and was tied for first among women 18-49 with a 1.3 rating. NBC had a full daytime audience of 2.61 million and also was tied for first among women 18-49 with a 1.3 rating.
In evening network news for the week ended Dec. 30, NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” was first among total viewers, averaging 9.12 million, and tied for first among 25-54s with a 2.2 average rating. ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson” was second in viewers, averaging 8.49 million, and tied for first among 25-54s with a 2.2, while CBS’s “Evening News with Katie Couric” was third for the week with 6.86 million total viewers and a 1.7 25-54 rating.
|
SUNDAY MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week ending December 23, 2007
Sunday averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
|
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Adults 25-54 |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Meet the Press |
NBC |
2.7 |
7 |
0.9 |
3.534 |
|
Face the Nation |
CBS |
1.9 |
5 |
0.8 |
2.586 |
|
This Week With George Stephanopoulos |
ABC |
1.7 |
5 |
0.7 |
2.254 |
|
News Sunday |
Fox |
1.1 |
3 |
0.6 |
1.572 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
LATE-NIGHT RATINGS
Week Ending December 23, 2007
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Total viewers (millions) |
Rtg% |
|
Tonight Show with Jay Leno |
NBC |
3.8 |
1.0 |
|
Late Show with David Letterman |
CBS |
3.7 |
1.1 |
|
Nightline |
ABC |
3.3 |
1.0 |
|
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson |
CBS |
1.7 |
0.6 |
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live |
ABC |
1.6 |
0.6 |
|
Late Night with Conan O’Brien |
NBC |
1.6 |
0.6 |
|
Last Call with
Carson Daly |
NBC |
1.0 |
0.4 |
|
Source: NTI
|
|
MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week Ending December 23, 2007
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Today |
NBC |
4.5 |
15 |
5.7 |
|
Good Morning
America |
ABC |
3.8 |
13 |
4.8 |
|
Early Show |
CBS |
2.3 |
8 |
2.9 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
DAYTIME RATINGS
Week Ending December 23, 2007
Five-day averages |
|
|
Total viewers (millions) |
Women 18-49 |
|
Network |
(millions) |
Rtg% |
|
CBS |
4.10 |
1.2 |
|
ABC |
2.82 |
1.3 |
|
NBC |
2.61 |
1.3 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
EVENING NETWORK NEWS RATINGS
Week Ending December 30, 2007
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
25-54s |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams |
NBC |
2.2 |
9.120 |
|
ABC World News with Charles Gibson |
ABC |
2.2 |
8.488 |
|
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric |
CBS |
1.7 |
6.855 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
SYNDICATION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending December 16, 2007
|
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
US
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
|
CTD
|
8.1
|
9103
|
|
2
|
JEOPARDY
|
CTD
|
6.6
|
7457
|
|
3
|
ESPN NFL REGULAR SEASON
|
ESP
|
6
|
6718
|
|
4
|
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW
|
CTD
|
5.2
|
5881
|
|
5
|
JUDGE JUDY (AT)
|
CTD
|
5
|
5686
|
|
6
|
TWO-HALF MEN-SYN (AT)
|
WB
|
4.9
|
5537
|
|
7
|
FAMILY GUY-MF-SYN (AT)
|
2/T
|
4.8
|
5377
|
|
8
|
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)
|
CTD
|
4.7
|
5304
|
|
9
|
DR. PHIL SHOW (AT)
|
CTD
|
4.5
|
5053
|
|
9
|
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN(AT)
|
CTD
|
4.5
|
5044
|
|
11
|
SEINFELD-WKND (AT)
|
SPT
|
4.1
|
4633
|
|
11
|
SEINFELD (AT)
|
SPT
|
4.1
|
4612
|
|
13
|
CSI MIAMI-SYN (AT)
|
CTD
|
4.0
|
4537
|
|
14
|
WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND
|
CTD
|
3.7
|
4139
|
|
15
|
KING OF QUEENS-WKND (AT)
|
SPT
|
3.4
|
3875
|
|
15
|
INSIDE EDITION
|
CTD
|
3.4
|
3811
|
|
17
|
MILLIONAIRE (AT)
|
DAD
|
3.2
|
3554
|
|
18
|
LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY
|
DAD
|
3.1
|
3544
|
|
18
|
KING OF QUEENS-SYN (AT)
|
SPT
|
3.1
|
3522
|
|
20
|
FRIENDS (AT)
|
WB
|
3.0
|
3387
|
|
21
|
GEORGE LOPEZ (AT)
|
WB
|
2.8
|
3176
|
|
21
|
LAW & ORDER:SVU-SYN (AT)
|
NBU
|
2.8
|
3167
|
|
23
|
TWO-HALF MEN WKND B (AT)
|
WB
|
2.7
|
3048
|
|
23
|
JUDGE JOE BROWN (AT)
|
CTD
|
2.7
|
3036
|
|
23
|
EVBDY LVS RAYMOND-WKD-SYN
|
CTD
|
2.7
|
2995
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
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