Big open-arm
welcome as Leno returns
'Tonight' averages a 5.4 in metered-market households
By Toni Fitzgerald
Mar 2, 2010
Jay Leno's first night back on "The Tonight Show" was no contest. He thumped his rivals easily, proving media buyers right that there were no lingering hard feelings toward the host after January's late-night drama.
NBC's "Tonight" averaged a 5.4 rating in the 11:35 p.m. timeslot, according to Nielsen metered-market households, 80 percent ahead of CBS rival "The Late Show with David Letterman."
ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 3.4 at 11:35, and lead-out "Jimmy Kimmel Live" averaged a 1.8.
Among the 25 local people meter markets, Leno had a commanding margin among 18-49s, averaging a 2.0 to "Late Show's" 1.0, "Nightline's" 1.5 and "Kimmel's" 0.9.
Whether the numbers will hold at that level, after all the initial publicity, remains to be seen, but it seems likely that Leno will at the least regain his former position as the No. 1 late-night host, nine months after leaving "Tonight."
NBC aired lots of promotions for Leno's late-night return, engineered after his primetime show failed and new "Tonight" host Conan O'Brien saw his ratings plummet. O'Brien left last month, and Leno took a lot of flak from the press and fellow comics for agreeing to replace him.
In Leno's absence, Letterman had risen to No. 1 in late-night, with "Nightline" also seeing gains.
Meanwhile, in primetime last night, ABC scored a rare Monday victory with the season finale of "The Bachelor," which saw major gains over last week but fell short of last year's ender, when the bachelor famously changed his mind about his pick after the fact.
"Bachelor" averaged a season-high 5.2 rating, according to Nielsen fast nationals, down 4 percent from last year but up a third from last week.
The post-finale special "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" posted its second-best 18-49 rating ever, a 5.4.
This season finishes as the most-watched "Bachelor" edition since 2003, averaging 12 million total viewers.
Also last night, CBS's "Rules of Engagement" aired its season premiere at 8:30 p.m., averaging a 3.5 in 18-49, up slightly from a 3.3 for former timeslot occupant "Accidentally on Purpose" in its most recent outing last month.
ABC was first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 5.3 average overnight rating and a 14 share. CBS was second at 4.3/11, Fox third at 2.3/6, NBC fourth at 2.1/6, Univision fifth at 1.6/4 and CW sixth at 0.7/2.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-six percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 8 p.m. ABC was first with a 4.9 for “Bachelor,” followed by CBS with a 3.7 for “How I Met Your Mother” (3.9) and “Engagement” (3.5). NBC was third with a 2.4 for “Chuck,” Fox fourth with a 2.1 for a repeat of “House,” Univision fifth with a 1.8 for “Hasta que el Dinero Nos Separe” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a “Life Unexpected” rerun.
CBS took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 5.8 for “Two and a Half Men” (5.7) and “The Big Bang Theory” (5.9), while ABC slid to second with a 5.6 for “Bachelor.” Fox was third with a 2.5 for “24,” NBC fourth with a 1.9 for “Law & Order,” Univision fifth with a 1.4 for “Corazon Salvaje” and CW sixth with a 0.8 for a new “Life Unexpected.”
ABC regained the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.4 for “Rose,” with CBS second with a 3.4 for “CSI: Miami.” NBC was third with a 2.1 for more “Law & Order” and Univision fourth with a 1.5 for “Cristina.”
ABC also led the night among households with a 9.4 average overnight rating and a 15 share. CBS was second at 7.8/12, NBC and Fox tied for third at 4.7/7, Univision fifth at 2.1/3 and CW sixth at 1.1/2.
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