Jay Leno’s decision to stick with NBC for the next five years instead of becoming a late-night free agent may have done more than create a new 10 p.m. strip show for NBC.
It may also have saved ABC’s “Nightline.”
With Leno staying put, “Nightline” likely will as well. That probably would not have been the case if ABC, which had acknowledged it was pursuing the comic, had successfully wooed Leno.
Had Leno come to ABC, he would have taken over “Nightline’s” 11:35 p.m. timeslot. The network was expected to cancel the newsmagazine and move “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” which is coming off its best-ever sweeps, to 12:37 p.m. At best, the newsmagazine would have gotten a new, much later timeslot.
Now none of that will happen, and in any case "Nightline” had been making a pretty good case on its own to stay on the air.
During the recently ended sweeps period, “Nightline” trailed NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” by fewer than 100,000 viewers among adults 25-54, with both posting a 1.6 rating. It was the closest “Nightline” has been to Leno in 14 years in the demo.
Among total viewers, “Nightline” averaged 4.47 million, second behind Leno’s 4.92 million and up 17 percent over last sweeps.
“Nightline” finished well ahead of CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” on both measures.
Part of “Nightline’s” boost can be attributed to the election, but the show had been gaining momentum over recent months with stories outside the election as well, like its infamous John Edwards interview.
Whether “Nightline” can continue that momentum into the next year, when some big late-night shifts will occur, remains to be seen. After all, the show was also rumored to be on the cutting block a few years back, when ABC tried to woo Letterman from CBS.
Leno’s departure will likely lead to some late-night viewing shifts, though it seems doubtful his 10 p.m. show will have the sort of impact a late-night Leno program would have had.
Leno’s program probably won’t siphon many viewers from late-night, simply because many late-night viewers watch TV out of habit rather than loyalty to a particular show.
A study during last year’s writers’ strike found that there was virtually no change in the amount of TV regular late-night viewers watched during the two months that the late-night talk shows were in reruns. They simply channel-surfed more.
That will likely be true come June, when Conan O’Brien takes over for Leno. “Nightline” and “Late Show” could see additional sampling, as many Leno viewers will continue to get a late-night fix. And that will remain so even when Leno alights on primetime three months later.
***
Meanwhile, in late-night ratings for the week ended Nov. 30, NBC’s “Tonight” was first for the week, averaging 4.8 million total viewers and a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49. “Nightline” had 4.7 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the demo, with “Late Show” pulling 4.1 million viewers and a 1.1. In late-late night, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” had 2.1 million total viewers and a 0.6 in 18-49s, with NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” averaging 1.9 million viewers and a 0.7 in 18-49s. CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” averaged 1.9 million viewers and a 0.6, and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” brought in 1.1 million viewers and a 0.4 among 18-49s (with all reruns).
In other dayparts, NBC’s “Meet the Press” was first among the Sunday morning shows in total viewers with 3.75 million tuning in and among viewers 25-54 with a 1.0 rating. CBS’s “Face the Nation” was second in viewers with 3.46 million, and tied for second among 25-54s with a 0.9, with ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” pulling 3.41 million viewers and a 0.9 among 25-54s. “Fox News Sunday” averaged 1.43 million viewers and a 0.4 rating among 25-54s.
In morning shows, NBC’s “Today” was first with 5.5 million total viewers and a 4.1 household rating and 14 share, followed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” with 4.8 million viewers and a 3.6/13. CBS’s “Early Show” was third with 2.9 million total viewers and a 2.2/7.
CBS had the largest full daytime audience during the week, averaging 3.67 million viewers, but was third among women 18-49 with a 1.1 rating. ABC had the second-largest audience, averaging 3.21 million viewers, but was first among women 18-49 with a 1.3 rating. NBC had a full daytime audience of 2.73 million and was second among women 18-49 with a 1.2 rating.
In evening network news for the week ended Dec. 7, NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” was first among total viewers, averaging 9.43 million, and among 25-54s with a 2.5 average rating. ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson” was second in viewers, averaging 8.76 million, and in 25-54s with a 2.2 rating, while CBS’s “Evening News with Katie Couric” was third for the week with 6.81 million total viewers and a 1.7 25-54 rating.
|
SUNDAY MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week ending November 30, 2008
Sunday averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
|
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Adults 25-54 |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Meet the Press |
NBC |
2.7 |
7 |
1.0 |
3.753 |
|
Face the Nation |
CBS |
2.5 |
7 |
0.9 |
3.461 |
|
This Week With George Stephanopoulos |
ABC |
2.4 |
7 |
0.9
|
3.414 |
|
News Sunday |
Fox |
1.0 |
3 |
0.4 |
1.434 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
LATE-NIGHT RATINGS
Week Ending November 30, 2008
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Total viewers (millions) |
Rtg% |
|
Tonight Show with Jay Leno** |
NBC |
4.8 |
1.3 |
|
Nightline** |
ABC |
4.7 |
1.3 |
|
Late Show with David Letterman |
CBS |
4.1 |
1.1 |
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live** |
ABC |
2.1 |
0.6 |
|
Late Night with Conan O’Brien** |
NBC |
1.9 |
0.7 |
|
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson |
CBS |
1.9 |
0.6 |
|
Last Call with
Carson Daly* |
NBC |
1.1 |
0.4 |
|
* Encores
** NBC and ABC's Thursday and Friday telecasts are excluded from these averages due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Source: NTI
|
|
MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week Ending November 30, 2008
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Today |
NBC |
4.1 |
14 |
5.521 |
|
Good Morning
America |
ABC |
3.6 |
13 |
4.841 |
|
Early Show |
CBS |
2.2 |
7 |
2.932 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
DAYTIME RATINGS
Week Ending November 30, 2008
Five-day averages |
|
|
Total viewers (millions) |
Women 18-49 |
|
Network |
(millions) |
Rtg% |
|
CBS |
3.67 |
1.1 |
|
ABC |
3.21 |
1.3 |
|
NBC |
2.73 |
1.2 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
EVENING NETWORK NEWS RATINGS
Week Ending December 7, 2008
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
25-54s |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams |
NBC |
2.5 |
9.430 |
|
ABC World News with Charles Gibson |
ABC |
2.2 |
8.759 |
|
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric |
CBS |
1.7 |
6.809 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
SYNDICATION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 23, 2008
|
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
US
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN NFL REGULAR SEASON
|
ESP
|
7.8
|
8970
|
|
2
|
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
|
CTD
|
7.7
|
8786
|
|
3
|
JEOPARDY
|
CTD
|
6.1
|
6998
|
|
4
|
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW
|
CTD
|
5.8
|
6617
|
|
5
|
TWO-HALF MEN-SYN (AT)
|
WB
|
5.5
|
6282
|
|
6
|
JUDGE JUDY (AT)
|
CTD
|
4.5
|
5203
|
|
6
|
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)
|
CTD
|
4.5
|
5183
|
|
8
|
FAMILY GUY-MF-SYN (AT)
|
2/T
|
4.3
|
4866
|
|
9
|
CSI NEW YORK-SYN(AT)
|
CTD
|
3.8
|
4388
|
|
10
|
DR. PHIL SHOW (AT)
|
CTD
|
3.6
|
4159
|
|
10
|
SEINFELD (AT)
|
SPT
|
3.6
|
4124
|
|
12
|
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN(AT)
|
CTD
|
3.4
|
3869
|
|
13
|
INSIDE EDITION (AT)
|
CTD
|
3.1
|
3600
|
|
14
|
LAW & ORDER:SVU-SYN (AT)
|
NBU
|
3
|
3491
|
|
14
|
SEINFELD-WKND (AT)
|
SPT
|
3
|
3466
|
|
16
|
GEORGE LOPEZ (AT)
|
WB
|
2.9
|
3305
|
|
17
|
HOUSE-SYN (AT)
|
NBU
|
2.8
|
3183
|
|
18
|
LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY
|
DAD
|
2.7
|
3125
|
|
18
|
FRIENDS (AT)
|
WB
|
2.7
|
3076
|
|
20
|
KING OF QUEENS-SYN (AT)
|
SPT
|
2.6
|
2999
|
|
20
|
MILLIONAIRE (AT)
|
DAD
|
2.6
|
2996
|
|
20
|
2008 NFL REG SEASON GAMES
|
NFL
|
2.6
|
2976
|
|
23
|
CSI MIAMI-SYN (AT)
|
CTD
|
2.5
|
2842
|
|
24
|
TWO-HALF MEN WKND B (AT)
|
WB
|
2.4
|
2742
|
|
24
|
ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW
|
WB
|
2.4
|
2719
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
