Latest on Conan vs. Letterman

Thursday, July 16, 2009
By Brian Cantor

Not even a press release from NBC touting “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” was capable of ignoring the fact that “The Late Show with David Letterman” has assumed a sizable viewership lead in the late-night ratings battle.

For the week July 6-10, 2009, “Letterman” averaged 3.7 million viewers while “Conan” posted 2.8 million. NBC was quick to note, however, that Conan dominates in key demographics–he leads 1.1 to .8 in adults 18-49 and is doubling Letterman in 18-34. It also noted that “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” which was in re-runs for the week, still managed to top “Letterman,” which aired original episodes an hour earlier.

Of course, neither “Letterman” nor “Conan” is winning the overall late night battle in total viewers–that honor belongs to ABC’s “Nightline,” which averaged 3.8 million viewers for the week (”Conan” still leads in adults 18-49).

The full ratings breakdown from NBC:

ADULTS 18-49

11:35 p.m. ET
NBC “Tonight,” 1.1 rating, 5 share
CBS “Late Show,” 0.8/4
ABC “Nightline,” 1.0/4

12:05 a.m. ET
ABC “Kimmel,” 0.4/2 (in encore telecasts)

12:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Late Night,” 0.5/3 (in encore telecasts)
CBS “Late Late Show,” 0.4/3

1:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Last Call,” 0.3/2 (in encore telecasts)

TOTAL VIEWERS

11:35 p.m. ET
NBC “Tonight,” 2.8 million viewers
CBS “Late Show,” 3.7 million viewers
ABC “Nightline,” 3.8 million viewers

12:05 a.m. ET
ABC “Kimmel,” 1.3 million viewers (in encore telecasts)

12:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Late Night,” 1.3 million viewers (in encore telecasts)
CBS “Late Late Show,” 1.6 million viewers

1:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Last Call,” 0.8 million viewers (in encore telecasts)

SEASON TO DATE

ADULTS 18-49

11:35 p.m. ET
NBC “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” 1.8/7
CBS “Late Show,” 1.0/4
ABC “Nightline,” 1.1/4

12:05 a.m. ET
ABC “Kimmel,” 0.6/3

12:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” 0.8/5
CBS “Late Late Show,” 0.6/3

1:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Last Call,” 0.5/3

TOTAL VIEWERS

11:35 p.m. ET
NBC “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” 4.5 million viewers
CBS “Late Show,” 3.8 million viewers
ABC “Nightline,” 3.8 million viewers

12:05 a.m. ET
ABC “Kimmel,” 1.7 million viewers

12:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” 2.1 million viewers
CBS “Late Late Show,” 1.9 million viewers

1:35 a.m. ET
NBC “Last Call,” 1.1 million viewers

SELECTED CABLE RESULTS, WEEK OF JULY 6-10

NATIONAL ADULT 18-49 RATING

Comedy Central, 11 p.m. ET, “The Daily Show,” 0.5
Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. ET, “The Colbert Report,” 0.4

Adult Swim, 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET, 0.8
Adult Swim, 12:30-1:30 a.m. ET, 0.5

Each adult 18-49 rating point equals 1.32 million viewers

TOTAL VIEWERS

Comedy Central, 11 p.m. ET, “The Daily Show,” 1.1 million
Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. ET, “The Colbert Report,” 0.8 million

Adult Swim, 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET, 2.1 million
Adult Swim, 12:30-1:30 a.m. ET, 1.2 million

Conan OBrien and his son on his shoulders out in Malibu for Easter celebrations

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This Entertainment News story was published by Brian Cantor on Thursday, July 16th, 2009. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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