Note: LateNighter’s late night daily ratings reports are drawn from Nielsen live-plus-same-day data and do not take include delayed and/or streaming views. They are generally posted on a two (business) day delay, which is how they are released by Nielsen.
With no primetime NFL broadcast to contend with, ABC’s and CBS’ late-night shows saw week-to-week Nielsen ratings growth this past Thursday, while NBC predictably saw a drop off.
Jeff Bridges, and Evie McGee Colbert joined The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday, September 12, and lifted the program to a first place finish at 11:35 p.m. The Late Show‘s Sept. 12 episode averaged 1,934,000 total viewers with 205,000 P18-49 at 11:35 p.m., per Nielsen live-plus-same-day data. That’s down -1% in total viewers and -19% in P18-49 compared against the night before; but +19% and +6%, respectively, compared against the previous Thursday.
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! had a strong night, despite a second place finish at 11:35 p.m. The Thursday, Sept. 12 episode—featuring guest appearances by Martin Lawrence, Joey King, and musical guest Soul Coughing—averaged 1,444,000 total viewers with 194,000 P18-49. That’s up +5% in total viewers and +14% among P18-49 from the night before. The episode also posted huge week-to-week-gains (+20% and +111%, respectively), which seems to mean that Kimmel’s traditional audience has more NFL viewers than Colbert’s.
Over on NBC, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon finished third in the timeslot on Sept. 12, having averaged 1,066,000 total viewers with 191,000 P18-49. That’s down -10% in total viewers and -13% among P18-49 from the night before; -56% and -74%, respectively, from the week-ago episode (which, as previously mentioned, had an NFL lead-in). Lupita Nyong’o, and Cristin Milioti were Fallon’s guests this past Thursday. Talib Kweli, and J.Rawls were performed.
Following Thursday’s Colbert, the Taylor Tomlinson-led After Midnight averaged 578,000 total viewers with a 12:35 a.m. timeslot-high 119,000 P18-49 on CBS. That’s down -4% in total viewers, but up +3% in P18-49 from the day before; up +11% and +40%, respectively, from the week-ago episode. Kurt Braunohler, Tien Tran, and Megan Gailey all appeared on the Sept. 12 edition of After Midnight.
Following Jimmy Kimmel Live!, ABC News’ half-hour news program Nightline averaged a timeslot-high 809,000 total viewers with 100,000 P18-49. That’s up +14% in total viewers and +25% among P18-49 from the day before; +10% and +75%, respectively, from the previous Thursday’s episode.
Following Thursday’s Tonight Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers slipped a bit from the night before, having averaged 783,000 total viewers with 11,000 P18-49. That’s down -2% in total viewers, and -22% in P18-49 from the previous day’s episode; -40% and -75%, respectively, from the week-ago episode (which experienced an NFL ratings halo effect). Kathryn Hahn, and Kevin Smith appeared on Meyers’ Sept. 12 episode.
Hosted by Jordan Klepper with Sasheer Zamata appearing as his guest, the Thursday, Sept. 12 Daily Show averaged 512,000 total viewers with 114,000 P18-49 at 11 p.m. That’s up +10% in total viewers and +9% among P18-49 from the night before. The Daily Show did not air on Thursday, Sept. 5.
Thursday’s complete ratings charts follow below.
Live+SD ratings (All Viewers 2+)
| Network | Show Name | Viewers | % Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 PM | |||
| CC | The Daily Show | 512,000 | 1.35 |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| ABC | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 1,444,000 | 5.15 |
| CBS | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | 1,934,000 | 7.00 |
| NBC | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 1,066,000 | 3.76 |
| 12:35 AM | |||
| ABC | * Nightline | 809,000 | 4.07 |
| CBS | After Midnight | 578,000 | 3.15 |
| NBC | Late Night with Seth Meyers | 783,000 | 4.23 |
Live+SD ratings (18-49 demo only)
| Network | Show Name | Viewers | % Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 PM | |||
| CC | The Daily Show | 114,000 | 1.32 |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| ABC | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 194,000 | 3.22 |
| CBS | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | 205,000 | 3.48 |
| NBC | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 191,000 | 3.14 |
| 12:35 AM | |||
| ABC | * Nightline | 100,000 | 2.42 |
| CBS | After Midnight | 119,000 | 3.06 |
| NBC | Late Night with Seth Meyers | 111,000 | 2.84 |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
