Here is NBC's spin on the same numbers for the week.
via press release:
"Late Show with David Letterman" Tops "The Tonight Show"
Among Viewers in a Full Week of Original Broadcasts for the First Time Since 2005
"Late Show" Continues To Narrow the Gap in Adults 18-49
"The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" Closes the Gap with "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"
CBS's LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN beat "The Tonight Show" in viewers for the first time in a full week of original broadcasts since December 2005, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for the week ending June 19, the third week since Conan O'Brien took over as host of "The Tonight Show."
LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN delivered a 2.5/06 in households with an average of 3.46m viewers, up +14% in households (from 2.2/06) and +13% in viewers (from 3.05m) compared to the same week last year.
LATE SHOW beat "The Tonight Show" in households (2.5/06 vs. 2.3/06, +9%) and viewers (3.46m vs. 3.32m, +4%). LATE SHOW beat "The Tonight Show" in viewers against an all-first run week of "Tonight Show" broadcasts for the first time since the week ending December 2, 2005 (the week Oprah Winfrey appeared on LATE SHOW).
LATE SHOW has also narrowed the gap with "The Tonight Show" in adults 18-49, trailing by just -0.5 this week, compared to -0.6 last week and by -1.4 rating points in Conan O'Brien's premiere week.
THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON posted a 1.2/04 in households with 1.55m viewers, up +9% in households (from 1.1/04) and +7% in viewers (from 1.44m) compared to the same week last year.
LATE LATE SHOW tied "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" in households (1.2/04, each). LATE LATE SHOW beat "Late Night" on two nights in viewers: Monday (1.63m vs. 1.61m) and Thursday (1.66m vs. 1.43m). LATE LATE SHOW was in its closest competitive position with "Late Night" since the week ending May 8, 2009 in both households and viewers and since the week ending May 22, 2009 in both adults 18-49 and adults 18-34.
just what I expected.
Whatevs!
How did Nightline do? Its more interesting than Dave or Conan.
Joe, there are Nightline numbers in the NBC press release linked above, as you can see it was third in adults 18-49 (although right behind Letterman) and viewers (although competitive) for the week.
I’d expect and ABC press release, that I will post, sometime soon today.
nightline last night won, dave close second and conan 3rd. it was helped by the latest politico hypocrite having an affair. if conan got the gov of s. carolina on maybe he’d be back in first
I said this on the other post, but honestly, I expected this. Dave got the Palin bump early last week. Considering Dave had 700,000 more viewers on the night he apologized to Palin, Conan closed the gap pretty well the rest of the week.
Letterman is mean old man, Conan is an annoying spaz. Kimmel is a soporific, fat Carson Daly. Fallon is like a needy, self-conscious girl. Leno was the closest to a regular guy.
Yeah, but who wants a regular guy hosting a talk show? Give me a nut-case like Craig Ferguson!
Otherwise your characterizations were pretty spot on. LOL!
Here’s some real news: NBC is putting Conan’s show into a week of reruns — AFTER ONLY THREE WEEKS ON THE AIR — so they can retool the show. Ignore their spin-ny press releases, actions speak louder. The show is an unmitigated disaster. Even Rick Ludwin, NBC’s late night exec, called Conan “nervous” in print this week.
Wow, there are some real pieces of work on this site. I never realized there could be so many people whose lives are that worthless that they have nothing better to do than wish for someone’s failure.
Here’s the ACTUAL Rick Ludwin quote (without the pathetic spin attempt):
Rick Ludwin, NBC late-night chief, says he is “thrilled” with Mr. O’Brien’s performance so far, saying he expects the total viewer numbers “to be a continuing race” between the shows. “Conan was a little nervous the first night, but since has really settled in,” Mr. Ludwin says. “That’s when you start seeing the monologue stretch, because the laughs are bigger.”
Oh, and the week of reruns is NOT to retool the show. So much for your “real news”.
Paul Newsome,
Um in case you didn’t notice, Dave is in repeats that week too. Yes, Conan’s new on the air, but clearly, there is some network reason for both of them being in repeats that week.
This is, unfortunately, a fact (look it up): Conan has garnered the lowest ratings in the history of The Tonight Show. The NBC spin is just that: spin.
No Darlington, you simply just read the Huffington Post headline. It was the lowest numbers since 2005… the week Oprah went on Letterman. Not in the history of the show.
Darlington is right – lowest ratings in the history of the show.
Billeroot,
Um… can you read?
http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/06/late-show-outdraws-tonight-for-first-time-since-05.html
If by history of the show, you mean the 3 weeks since Conan took over, then yes. But in the history of the entire Tonight Show, well then sorry, you’re wrong.
I can read, you can’t. Here’s the direct quote from the article YOU LINKED TO: “this is the smallest “Tonight Show” weekly audience on record (since at least 1992).”
I repeat: Conan has posted the LOWEST RATINGS on record. What part of that don’t you understand?
Thank you, billeroot, my point exactly – they have ratings on the books going back to 1992 and Conan’s are the lowest on record. Period.
It’s highly unusual for a TV show to go into repeats after three weeks, and it’s more bad news for Conan. Dave has dozens of good shows to choose five repeats from. Conan has yet to do five passable shows.
What has happened to the Tonight Show….
I miss Johnny, I watched Leno, but I would rather watch tired old Letterman than Conan. Is it my age? Just don’t understand.