Looks like Conan O’Brien and Team Coco win again! TBS’s Conan has been rated the number one talk show in America.
“Conan is just getting started on TBS,” says network executive vice president Michael Wright, “but the show has already proven to be a huge success in attracting a young, loyal audience.”
Since its premiere on November 8, 2010, Conan has beaten out The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as the country’s most watched talk show, particularly amongst people as young as 18 and as old as 49.
It would appear that O’Brien’s cult status amongst the young and technologically savvy has remained intact during his transition from NBC to TBS; most of Conan’s ratings come from DVR recordings, which is common practice amongst people in their twenties. The conflict between O’Brien and NBC last year may not have helped The Tonight Show’s numbers, hence its number two spot in the ratings.
TBS itself has become one of the most popular and accessible cable networks, featuring a number of popular original and syndicated comedy programs, feature films and another late night talk show featuring comedian George Lopez, following Conan.
Season-to-Date Ratings Highlights for Late-Night Talk Shows*:
Adults 18-49
CONAN 1,443,000
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 1,345,000
Late Show with David Letterman 1,151,000
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 1,064,000
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 835,000
The Colbert Report 822,000
Chelsea Lately 784,000
Jimmy Kimmel Live! 724,000
Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 707,000
Lopez Tonight 557,000
Adults 18-34
CONAN 930,000
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 574,000
The Colbert Report 490,000
Chelsea Lately 479,000
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 470,000
Late Show with David Letterman 374,000
Lopez Tonight 331,000
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 329,000
Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 266,000
Jimmy Kimmel Live! 246,000
Median Age
CONAN 33
Lopez Tonight 33
Chelsea Lately 35
The Colbert Report 39
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 42
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 49
Jimmy Kimmel Live! 52
Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 53
Late Show with David Letterman 56
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 56
* Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data. Final Live+7 data (11/08/10-12/26/10) blended with Live+Same Day (12/27/10-12/30/10). Based on premiere episodes, Monday-Thursday telecasts only. Time-shifted data based on difference between Live+7 vs Live (11/08/10-12/23/10).