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Late-Night Ratings Pendulum Swings

Jun 27, 2017  •  Post A Comment

A shift took place in the late-night broadcast ratings last week, with momentum swinging toward NBC’s “Tonight Show” after a strong run for CBS’s “Late Show.”

For the first time since the Trump inauguration, “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” topped “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in total viewers, Deadline.com reports. The win for the NBC show snapped an 18-week winning streak for CBS when “Colbert” ran originals.

The results, based on Nielsen Live+Same Day figures, carry a disclaimer: Colbert’s numbers for last week reflect just Monday-Wednesday nights as the show aired repeats on Thursday and Friday with Colbert traveling to Russia.

The race remains close. The NBC staple averaged 2.656 million total viewers for the week, to 2.622 million for the CBS late-night flagship.

In the key 18-49 demo, Fallon has remained on top even during Colbert’s surge, and the NBC show registered a big edge for the week. Fallon delivered a 0.68 average rating in the demo to Colbert’s 0.42 for a 62% margin, Fallon’s best since the week of Jan. 9-13.

ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” which aired a repeat on Friday, trailed with 1.963 million viewers last week and equaled Colbert’s 0.42 average rating in 18-49.

2 Comments

  1. Colbert’s constant attacks on Trump are getting a bit tiresome even to those who dislike Trump. That is having an impact on his ratings. Fallon stuck with a more middle of the road approach and people are moving back over there.

  2. If you want to fall asleep “angry” than by all means, watch Colbert. If you want some good laughs before bedtime, by all means watch Fallon or Kimmel. By the way…just WHO is Colbert planning on talking with in Russia. Sounds like CNN (FNN-Fake News Network) should launch an all out investigation!!

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