Though Jay Leno and The Tonight Show won the late night wars in Leno’s second week back, compared to the same week last year the victory was much narrower.
One problem in using any season-to-date average for Leno this year is deceptive since we only have two weeks of data. But to compare weekly data for the same week this year (March 8-12, 2010) to the same week last year (March 9-13, 2009):
Viewers (P2+)
Last year Leno led Letterman by more than a million and a half viewers, 5.39m to 3.75m. This year Letterman was about the same, 3.76, but Leno shed nearly a million viewers, down to 4.41m.
Adults 18-49
Last year : Leno = 1.5, Letterman = 1.0. This year, again, Letterman was about the same as last year with a 1.0 rating, but Leno was down to a 1.2 rating.
Letterman's Audience Is A Little Bit (But Just a Little Bit) Younger
NBC touted median age a lot when Conan was hosting, and relatively speaking Conan skewed young with a 46.2 median age. Last week at 54.4, the median age for Late Night was younger than the 55.9 median age for The Tonight Show.
Comparisons to Last Year for the Current Week Will Look Even Worse for Leno
Note, the comparisons to the same week last year will look even worse for Leno next week when we see the numbers for the current week next Thursday. That’s because in the comparable week last year, President Obama appeared with Leno on The Tonight Show and it had its biggest audience in nearly 11 years.
It's all Conan's fault. He tanked the Tonight Show
Riiiight. I just don't get Leno and I never will. It's not comedy, it's just mindless chatter and fake smiles.
Pleased to see that Dave is skewing a bit younger than Leno as well.. that's new as far as I know.
wrong, leno and his stupid prime time show as a lead in tanked the tonight show
Leno will do even better tonight and tomorrow Letterman is reruns. A good chance for Leno to pull those viewers from the Letterman fans. Jimmy Kimmel has been in reruns all week, barely shows up on radar.
To Billiot,
Conan's Tonight Show was already sinking before the Jay Leno Show came on the air.
Richard and Jay are right. Conan's disastrous reign caused some viewers to be so horrified that they have been driven off from the 10:30 PM CT time slot.
Conan was already losing viewers on Late Night and only had about 1.9 million viewers and NBC was totally insane to think he could turn his paltry 2 millin viewers into Leno's 5 million!
That's why CoNON is gone and some viewers left too after Conan raped and pillaged the Tonight Show!!
Herd Jimmy Kimmel contract may not be renewed do to dressing up like Leno, I hope it's true.
Amazing how much you guys are going through to try and make Jay Leno look bad. He is #1, get over it.
And you think that Leno's 10PM show had nothing to do with (1) Conan's Tonight Show “struggling” and (2) some people being turned off by him & not tuning in now?
You probably won't believe this but Leno's ratings on his first run with the Tonight Show weren't all that great for his first year either. NBC was a lot more patient with him then – and the local affliates didn't have many problems with him either.
@foxvancleef “I just don't get Leno and I never will. It's not comedy, it's just mindless chatter and fake smiles.”
You mean as compared to the intellectual depth of Conan's “Masturbating Bear”. Yeah, I understand what you're saying *rolls eyes*
Um Writer25, what year is this? This is not 1992 but 2010 get with the program. TV has evolved a hell of a lot since then.
No, don't get me wrong now. I am a Letterman guy before I am a Conan guy. I thought Conan fell flat while hosting 'Tonight' — I enjoyed him greatly at 12:35 but figured the suits had gotten on him about streamlining his humor in an attempt to gain a broader audience.. the last week of shows were great but aside from that I would only watch if Norm Macdonald was on. Everything felt forced and/or watered down.
Leno has weak comedy; which is a shame because he used to be a very funny comedian. You don't have to be a comedian, though, to know that Jay is a shmuck who sold his soul to the NBC brass years ago. He has been their bitch since he took over and it's pathetic.
You can pick Conan apart all you want–I just don't see the point in doing so. He'll go to Fox, he'll do fine, you can still eat your Vanilla Leno ice cream each night and go to sleep with the same shit eating grin on your face that he signs off with each night.
Folks inability to detect disingenuous and phoniness never ceases to amaze me. It's why Sarah Palin is popular and it makes me want to vomit all over my fellow countrymen.
Holly, you are a certified idiot. Get your nose out of Jay’s backside for a minute to get some fresh air. Leno’s not doing as well because he lost alot of viewers due to the whole Conan situation. Face it. It’s true. Conan probably got some of the old fogies to turn off their TV during his time and they haven’t come back, but the number is probably minuscule. Quit being moronic.
Holly, you are a certified idiot. Get your nose out of Jay’s backside for a minute to get some fresh air. Leno’s not doing as well because he lost alot of viewers due to the whole Conan situation. Face it. It’s true. Conan probably got some of the old fogies to turn off their TV during his time and they haven’t come back, but the number is probably minuscule. Quit being moronic.
Wrong, billyot. Conan had the Tonight Show for nearly 4 months before the Jay Leno Show began. Conan tanked so badly in those four months that he was trailing Nightline and Letterman reruns.
Oh! You're soooooooooooooo clever! You got me! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight, because TV has “evolved” so much. Leaving these more sophisticated times are scripted shows in favor of inexpensive, “reality” shows. Your definition of TV evolution is very different from mine.
The reality, whether you like it or not, is that late night TV truly isn't all that different in format than it was waaaaaay back in 1992. Look at a clip from Leno or Letterman from then and compare it to now. How exactly have things “evolved”?
Your argument makes little sense. But then again, you're a fan of Leno and frankly, I find his jokes are pretty much the same as they were in 1992.
But gosh, I guess you WIN. Lucky you!
Writer25,
Jay's ratings during his first years hosting the Tonight Show were around 4.0 million. Conan's ratings sunk to 2.5 million, just about the same people who watched him at 12:35.
To followup to what Richard said, Jay didn't “tank” too much from where Carson left off. It was enough to be solid despite the Letterman controversy really helped him out until that eventually wore off and Jay changed the format to a comedy club format which is his niche and it picked up heavily.
And Yes TV has changed a hell of a lot. Back then there was no such thing as cable really and if there was, it was harder to get. Plus a network like FOX had only been in existence since 1987 so it was kinda like the WB/CW of its day. Plus you can view things online now compared to then. But of course you are resorting to nonsense that I must be really stupid and you must be really superior because of different comedic styles. I forgot a bear that jacks off and a Kermit the frog that vomits really require superior intellect to comprehend, pardon me.
Conan's audience was around 2 or so million in later night. It basically translated to that in an hour earlier. The same arguments cannot be used. Jay never had a show before he took over. Conan had. He had a show in late night since 1993 so his style was very well known and people didn't want to grow in to it then, and they don't want to grow in to it now. I think one of Conan's old writers said he could never find out why Conan wanted to do the Tonight Show as it was for more “older and mature audiences” since it's inception with Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Carson and Jay and then you throw in Conan and just comes off as odd. Hence why Letterman and Nightline literally pummeled him every night over the summer and in the Fall.
NBC was doing much better back in 1992 so they could give Jay and Conan ample time to build up their audience. Conan wasn't doing too well during his first two years as the 'Late Night' host but NBC could afford at the time to be patient.