If CBS hoped post-Super Bowl exposure would turn “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and “The Late Late Show With James Corden” into dominant late night forces, the strategy failed.
If CBS hoped even a respectable chunk of the post-Super Bowl demo audiences (7.7A18-49 rating for “Colbert” | ~1.7A18-49 rating for “Corden”) would sample the shows in their regular timeslots, the strategy failed.
The exposure did, however, lead to week-to-week bumps for the two talk shows. It, moreover, propelled both to first place in the overnight households.
Per metered market data, Monday’s “Colbert” drew a 2.7 overnight household rating. It drew a 0.7 adults 18-49 rating in the 25 markets with local people meters.
The numbers best the 2.2 overnight household rating and 0.4 adults 18-49 rating drawn by the previous two Monday episodes. Monday’s “Colbert” actually beat NBC’s flagship “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in total households (2.7 for Colbert, 2.5 for Fallon).
It did not, however, defeat the leading late night series in adults 18-49 (0.9 for Fallon, 0.7 for Colbert).
ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” trailed both with a 2.0 in the overnight households and a 0.5 in adults 18-49.
“Corden” led out of Colbert with a 1.3 overnight household rating and a 0.3 adults 18-49 rating in the Top 25 markets. Last Monday’s episode drew a 1.0 in the former and a 0.2 in the latter.
Monday’s “Late Late Show” tied NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers” in the overnight households but still lost handily in adults 18-49 (0.6 for Meyers vs. 0.3 for Corden).