As “The Jay Leno Show, “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” continue to slip in the ratings, “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” are pulling in new fans.
Per The New York Times:
In the weeknight late-night standings, Craig Ferguson of CBS hit a milestone. He beat “Late Night” on NBC for the first time in that 18-to-49 audience; that show is now hosted by Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy Kimmel of ABC also managed a tie with “Late Night” in that group for the first time.
David Letterman again easily dominated the “Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” on NBC among total viewers, 3.9 million to 2.3 million. But again Mr. O’Brien fared better with younger viewers, beating Mr. Letterman among viewers 18 to 34 and tying him with a 0.9 rating among those between 18 and 49. Mr. Letterman won the other important ad-sales group, those between 25 and 54, easily.
Per Variety:
Another latenight talker gaining ground on NBC is ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” which last week drew a larger 18-49 audience than NBC’s “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” for the first time (720,000 vs. 712,000) while also prevailing in total viewers (1.70 million to 1.26 million). Kimmel’s Thursday, featuring Elizabeth Mitchell of “V” and Jesse Williams of “Grey’s Anatomy,” drew the show’s largest nightly audience since June (2.02 million).
Congratulations to Craig Ferguson, who’s show feels like it’s taped in his parents’ basement. He doesn’t have a band, a sidekick, a comfortable set, or a hefty budget. He looks carelessly at the audience and speaks in a stream of hilarity — sometimes he’s just playing with puppets. His audience doesn’t tune in for the celebrities — they tune in for him.
NBC needs to think of something quick.
