Note: LateNighter generally posts late night ratings on a two (business) day delay, which is how they are released by Nielsen.
CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon shared the Nielsen ratings crown for Thursday, Feb. 15, while ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! delivered the most day-to-day and week-to-week growth in Total Viewers.
The Tonight Show averaged 230,000 P18-49 on Thursday, more than the timeslot competition. The Late Show dropped to second place in the key entertainment demo, averaging 221,000 P18-49. Jimmy Kimmel Live! took third place in the P18-49 demo, averaging 171,000 viewers from the measurement.
CBS’ The Late Show may have temporarily dropped to second among P18-49, but it maintained its status as the most-watched late night show overall. Thursday’s Late Show broadcast averaged 1,875,000 total viewers, per Nielsen live-plus-same-day data. Jimmy Kimmel Live finished second in Total Viewers on Thursday ahead of The Tonight Show, averaging 1,601,000. The Tonight Show averaged 1,262,000 total viewers in the timeslot, third behind CBS and ABC.
The Tonight Show’s guests on Thursday were Queen Latifah, Margaret Qualley, and Brittany Howard. The Late Show’s guests were Billy Joel and Chappell Roan. Lionel Richie, Sandra Hüller, SHAED were guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Hitting fast-forward, ABC’s half-hour late night news offering, Nightline, averaged more Total Viewers than the NBC and CBS competition at 12:37 a.m., averaging 852,000. However, the program took third place among P18-49 (71,000). NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers finished No. 1 at 12:37 a.m. among P18-49 (101,000) and second in Total Viewers (756,000). Thursday’s telecast of CBS’ After Midnight was a repeat of the Jan. 24 installment, which helps explain the smaller-than-normal total audience (560,000). The program scored a second place finish in the 12:37 a.m. slot among P18-49 (95,000).
How did each show’s Thursday telecast fare against comparable telecasts? In Total Viewers, the 11:35 p.m. offerings from ABC, CBS and NBC were +11% , -1% and -7%, respectively, from the night before (Wednesday, Feb. 14). ABC gained +21%, CBS gained +12%, while NBC shed -9% from the most-recent Thursday telecast. In P18-49, the 11:35 p.m. ABC, CBS, and NBC offerings all posted gains. ABC improved by +35%,CBS by +9% and NBC by +35% from the night before. ABC improved by +9%, CBS by +26% and NBC by +8% from the most-recent Thursday.
ABC’s, CBS and NBC’s 12:37 a.m. shows all lost Total Viewers from the previous night. ABC shed -3%, CBS shed -12% and NBC shed -13%. ABC gained +13%, CBS shed -2% and NBC shed -5% from the most-recent Thursday. Among P18-49, ABC shed -19%, CBS shed -11%, but NBC gained +28% from the night before. ABC shed -22%, CBS gained +7%, and NBC shed -17% in P18-49 relative to the most-recent Thursday broadcast.
Rewinding to 11 p.m., Comedy Central’s The Daily Show averaged 414,000 Total Viewers and 88,000 P18-49 on Thursday, Feb. 15. That’s -10% and -2%, respectively, from the night before.
Live+SD ratings (18-49 demo)
| Network | Show Name | Viewers | % Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 PM | |||
| CC | The Daily Show | 88,000 | 1.05 |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| ABC | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 171,000 | 2.51 |
| CBS | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | 221,000 | 3.25 |
| NBC | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 230,000 | 3.41 |
| 12:37 AM | |||
| ABC | Nightline | 71,000 | 1.35 |
| CBS | After Midnight | 95,000 | 1.95 |
| NBC | Late Night With Seth Meyers | 101.000 | 2.03 |
Live+SD ratings (Viewers 2+)
| Network | Show Name | Total Viewers | % Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 PM | |||
| CC | The Daily Show | 414,000 | 1.05 |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| ABC | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 1,601,000 | 5.23 |
| CBS | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | 1,875,000 | 6.13 |
| NBC | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 1,262,000 | 4.15 |
| 12:37 AM | |||
| ABC | Nightline | 852,000 | 3.72 |
| CBS | After Midnight | 560,000 | 2.64 |
| NBC | Late Night With Seth Meyers | 756,000 | 3.50 |
