The series premiere of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” did not match the figure posted by the second finale of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” but it still delivered a strong number for NBC.
Monday’s premiere, which aired at 12AM ET, scored a 7.1 overnight metered market rating. The final Leno-hosted “Tonight” posted a 9.2 rating on February 6.
The “Fallon” number did, however, match the overnight mark posted by the premiere of “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” on June 1, 2009. Save for the 9.2 for Leno’s most recent sign-off, it also (along with the Conan premiere) represents the best “Tonight Show” performance since Leno’s first exit on May 29, 2009 drew an 8.8.
It also represents a 48% increase over the final overnight number for “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”
The series premiere delivered a 3.4 adults 18-49 rating in 25 markets with local Nielsen people meters.