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Via NBC's Press Release
| JAY LENO AND JIMMY FALLON GENERATE #1 RESULTS FOR THE LATE-NIGHT WEEK OF JULY 16-20 |
| JAY AND JIMMY OUT-DELIVER THEIR ABC AND CBS TIME-PERIOD COMPETITION IN 18-49 VIEWERS AND TOTAL VIEWERS
JAY DELIVERS BIGGER AUDIENCES THAN ‘Late Show’ IN EVERY KEY CATEGORY: ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-34, 18-49 AND 25-54, PLUS TOTAL VIEWERS JIMMY FALLON TOPS ‘LATE Late Show’ AND THE HEAD-TO-HEAD HALF-HOUR OF ‘KIMMEL’ IN TOTAL VIEWERS AND ALL KEY ADULT DEMOS SEASON TO DATE, JAY HAS STRETCHED HIS TOTAL-VIEWER LEAD OVER ‘Late Show’ TO 19 PERCENT FROM THE YEAR-AGO 13 PERCENT; JIMMY FALLON HAS ALSO INCREASED HIS MARGIN OVER ‘LATE Late Show’ TO 19 PERCENT, UP FROM LAST YEAR’S 5 PERCENT |
| UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – July 26, 2012 – NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” have delivered bigger audiences than the ABC and CBS time-period competition in viewers 18-49, total viewers and other key categories for the week of July 16-20.
“Tonight” topped the time-period competition of CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" and ABC's combination of "Nightline" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in every key ratings category: adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, plus total viewers. At 12:35 a.m. ET, Jimmy Fallon also out-delivered CBS’s “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” in each of the key categories and topped “Kimmel” head to head for their common half-hour in total viewers and all key adult demos. Through the first 44 weeks of the 2011-12 broadcast year, "Tonight" has increased its total-viewer margin over "Late Show" to 19 percent (3.669 million vs. 3.089 million), up from the year-ago season-to-date advantage of 13 percent. Jimmy Fallon has also established a total-viewer lead over "Late Late Show" this season of 19 percent (1.750 million vs. 1.472 million), up from last year's advantage of 5 percent. Jimmy has also increased his season-to-date lead over "Late Late Show" in adults 18-34, to 46 percent (272,000 vs. 186,000) up from last year's 28 percent, and in adults 25-54, up to 14 percent (846,000 vs. 742,000) from 7 percent at this point last season. "Tonight" delivered a bigger 18-49 audience than "Late Show" for the 27th time in 31 weeks while Jimmy Fallon attracted a bigger 18-49 audience than "Late Late Show" for a 34th week in a row. WEEKLY AVERAGES (According to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research for the week of July 16-20. Ratings reflect “live plus same day” data from Nielsen Media Research unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of “live plus seven day” data except for the two most recent weeks, which are “live plus same day.”) ADULTS 18-49 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. ET 11:35 p.m.-12 midnight ET 12 midnight-1 a.m. ET 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET 1:35-2:05 a.m. ET NBC “Last Call,” 0.3/2 (in encore telecasts) TOTAL VIEWERS 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. ET 11:35 p.m.-12 midnight ET 12 midnight-1 a.m. ET 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET NBC “Late Night,” 1.6 million viewers 1:35-2:05 a.m. ET * Friday’s “Late Show” and “Kimmel” were encores. SEASON TO DATE ADULTS 18-49 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. ET 11:35 p.m.-12 midnight ET 12 midnight-1 a.m. ET 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET 1:35-2:05 a.m. ET TOTAL VIEWERS 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. ET 11:35 p.m.-12 midnight ET 12 midnight-1 a.m. ET 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET 1:35-2:05 a.m. ET SELECTED CABLE RESULTS, WEEK OF JULY 16-20 NATIONAL ADULT 18-49 RATING Comedy Central, 11-11:30 p.m. ET, “The Daily Show,” 0.5 TBS, 11 p.m.-midnight, “Conan,” 0.5 Adult Swim, 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET, 1.0 Each adult 18-49 rating point equals 1.28 million viewers TOTAL VIEWERS Comedy Central, 11-11:30 p.m. “The Daily Show,” 1.3 million TBS, 11 p.m.-midnight, “Conan,” 1.1 million Adult Swim, 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET, 2.5 million |
TBS has been using Conan’s studio as testing grounds for many shows including Kevin Smith’s talk show. I truly believe Conan wants Pete Holmes, a well-educated writer from Massachusetts, to get the show. I’m sure Conan sees a lot of himself in him.
No GAR, Letterman didn’t say that out loud, but you can so read that between the lines of his conversations with Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O’Brien. He laughed at Leno’s pain and now karma has come to sink Letterman in the ratings.
I wonder what ratings Pete Holmes show could get. It will be interesting to see how it does in comparison to the Office reruns.
I would hope 0.3. I would think he could go higher if he gets enough attention considering there is no midnight talk show except Kimmel’s. CC is out for the night and so is Bravo and E!. Lopez Tonight would get 0.2 at midnight which is an unfair comparison since he had a longer show that followed the god-awful Conan of 2011.
I wonder why Conan put those awful shows out in August of last year. Was he tired of doing a show after not getting the Tonight Show? Was he busy with other things, therefore reducing the amount of work he could put into the show?
I think it was for multiple reason. He started CONAN from scratch with all new material, he had a fairly extensive budget cut from $90m to $60m, there was no higher executives keeping Conan in line, to stay focus on camera, and the star himself was emotionally distraught about his tenure at NBC and losing the Tonight Show. It also didn’t help seeing his ratings free falling for months on end and reading some of the most hateful reviews he’s ever had in a long time.
I still think the budget thing was ridiculous because Conan only had a $90m budget for only a few months. But then again I don’t know what his budget was on Late Night.
I wonder what percentage of Conan’s current fans were also Late Night fans.
Pure speculation, but if you remember Lopez Tonight was cancelled at the beginning of August; maybe Conan felt the pressure too close.
He also had the Summer Concert series, and that made for a complicated taping schedule. One interesting fact: Conan ratings took a turn up by the time he started growing his beard back (and BBT started airing).
Oh yeah. I’m sure Lopez’s cancellation did not calm Team Coco’s nerves. I got the inside scoop from a friend of a Conan intern (not the most trustworthy source) that Conan’s crew were all on their phones calling their lawyers, attorneys, executives, everyone! They were really nervous.
Every time I meet an old Late Night fan, they say Conan isn’t funny anymore. That the kid who finally got the dream to be a late night host is no longer funny. That they see through it now. He’s not a kid anymore, he’s a Hollywood star with millions of dollars. I’m sure Letterman’s Late Night fans feel the same way.
Hmm, well I have lots of memories with Late Night and I still think Conan is funny. I think a lot of the old fans do not realize that he can’t just focus on the show anymore; he and Andy both have their own families to take care of, which takes away time from doing a more ambitious show.
I understand, but this is what others keep hearing… excuses, excuses, excuses. Not everyone is willing to take a dive in quality and would rather move on with their lives. Even though I am obsessed with late night television, I feel like I’m going to be one of those old late night television fans that I will move on with life. Just like George Lopez, I will move on, have kids, and just not be able to stay up that late. Then again, I feel like I will just buy DVR and record all the shows.
I’m really baffled by the “Conan is not longer funny” comments. I’ve been watching Conan since 2006, and his silly humor is the same for me. Only difference I see is the interaction with Andy (which was there from 1993-2000), and his interaction with the band is less.
Maybe their taste in comedy changed, and that’s fine.
How many people here have seen tapings of late night shows? I’m curious to read any feedback. I saw one of Conan’s shows in New York last year. It was fantastic! He seemed to be really enjoying himself. He was talking and joking with the crowd during the breaks. Talking and joking with the guests and the staff. I think the fact that he genuinely enjoys what he does really comes through when you watch the finished show on tv. High energy, really a lot of fun.
I had previously seen a taping of Letterman, maybe two years ago. He really looked like he “mailed it in”. He looked miserable. No interaction with the crowd or guests during breaks. When he show ended he thanked the crowd and was gone. Looked like he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I think this also comes through when you watch the finished show on tv. I was shocked.
Has anyone had any similar or different experiences?
I went to see Conan in NYC too. It was a great experience. I was amazed by the amount of energy Conan has, he never stays quiet for a second during breaks. I also saw him twice in Chicago, and he had even more interaction with the audience. He signed autographs during breaks and after the show, inside the theater and out. I’m planning to see him in November in LA. I know it will be a different experience, but I hope to enjoy it as well. I also want to see Craig Ferguson during the trip.
I’m not a massive fan of The Daily Show / Colbert. I like them well enough but the one thing I do admire is how jam packed they are. That 20 minutes is a LOT easier to fill with their best stuff. Maybe Conan would be better that way with someone following. Pricey for TBS perhaps?
From TCA Summer presentations: FX picked up 7 more episodes of “Brand X,” with some “big creative changes.” I’m really surprised by that. I watched 5 minutes of an episode, and I had to change the channel.
I don’t remember that many awful reviews of Conan’s Tonight Show…most seemed to write that he was just finding his way.
How anybody could give his show bad reviews, compared to the craptacular fest that proceeded him for 17 years, is beyond me.
A lot of critics and people were hoping Conan would do something innovative with his talk show format but instead they were surprised they kept the traditional format with zero changes. I believe if they had made CONAN a 30-minute show, it would easily get a 0.7 in the ratings. No questions about it. I think it would actually do even better than that considering the quality a 30min show would be. Then again, you would need a 1.0 in the ratings for a 30min show because you are replacing it with the 60min show.
Chris, I have to admit that his trying to find his way on the Tonight Show then trying to find it again on CONAN, viewers were going nuts waiting for stability. 8 months on Tonight, 7 months off air/10 months without a talk show, and then 12 months until Conan’s NYC turnaround. That’s 30 months!!!
Ah, but it’s so rare, it seems, when a talk show is successful that deviates from the mold.
(In the case of Jay Leno, the organic type of mold.)
Conan’s stint might have been even more disastrous if he had tried to break the mold…for so many years the NBC at 11:30 audience were accustomed to machine gun generic monologues, blah gags (even Beyondo was a ripoff of Carnac), and celebrity ass kissing.
Might be that Leno and Letterman’s longevity might put a stress on other aspirants…hard to think of another type of format.
I was curious as to what having those Olympic figures funnel in to Jay/Fallon were but I guess it was never meant to be. Even if the start was an hour later than usual. I see Letterman is going on a long repeat hiatus as well.