Note: LateNighter generally posts late night daily ratings on a two (business) day delay, which is how they are released by Nielsen.
NBC late-night shows continue to perform well on Wednesdays.
After third place finishes to start the week, NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon shot up to No. 1 on Wednesday at 11:35 p.m. in the key P18-49 demo, while Late Night with Seth Meyers won the 12:37 a.m. slot, both in the key demo and in total viewers.
Per Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, The Tonight Show averaged 220,000 P18-49 viewers on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. That’s up +13% from the day before (March 19) and +4% from the previous Wednesday broadcast (March 13, 2024). The Tonight Show also averaged 1,449,000 total linear viewers at 11:35 p.m. That’s up +18% from the day before and +20% from the previous Wednesday.
Kristen Wiig, and Lenny Kravitz were Fallon’s guests on the Wednesday, March 20 edition of Tonight Show.
With The Late Show dark this week, Jimmy Kimmel Live! marked its third consecutive day of averaging the most total viewers on late night. The program averaged 1,554,000 this past Wednesday at 11:35 p.m., which is up +3% in total viewers from the day before, and +16% from the prior Wednesday episode. ABC’s 11:35 p.m. offering dropped to third place, however, in P18-49 viewers (181,000), finishing both NBC and CBS. JKL shed -23% in P18-49 viewers from the day before but gained +9% from the prior Wednesday episode.
Jerrod Carmichael, Janelle James, and Chicano Batman were Kimmel’s guests this past Wednesday, March 20.
CBS’ The Late Show aired its Feb. 15, 2024 episode this past Wednesday. It finished third in total viewers (1,204,000) behind ABC and NBC, and second in P18-49 viewers (185,000) only behind NBC. The Feb. 15 edition of Late Show dropped by -15% in total viewers and -7% in P18-49 viewers from the previous night’s repeat.
ABC News’ Nightline aired an original episode this past Wednesday which averaged 751,000 total viewers and 89,000 P18-49 viewers at 12:37 a.m. That’s up +0.4% (+3,000) in total viewers but -18% in P18-49 viewers from the previous night’s episode, up +3% in total viewers and -8% in P18-49 viewers from the previous Wednesday episode.
CBS’ After Midnight and NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers are dark this week and aired repeats of their Feb. 27, 2024 and Jan. 28 2024 episodes, respectively, this past Wednesday, March 20. Per Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, After Midnight’s Feb. 27 repeat averaged 499,000 total viewers and 100,000 P18-49 viewers, while Late Night’s Jan. 28 repeat averaged 854,000 total viewers and 140,000 P18-49 viewers. Relative to the previous night’s repeat, Late Night gained +35% in total viewers and +32% in P18-49 viewers, while After Midnight shed -17% in total viewers and -27% in P18-49 viewers.
The Daily Show is off this week, and the network is re-airing four of Jon Stewart’s Monday shows at 11 p.m. through Thursday. Wednesday’s re-air of The Daily Show’s Feb. 26, 2024 episode averaged 256,000 total viewers and 56,000 P18-49 viewers at 11 p.m., per Nielsen live-plus-same-day data. That’s up +67% and +133%, respectively, from the previous night’s repeat (Feb. 19 episode).
Live+SD ratings (18-49 demo only)
| Network | Show Name | Viewers | % Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 PM | |||
| CC | The Daily Show (R, 2/26/24) | 56,000 | 0.65 |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| ABC | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 181,000 | 2.70 |
| CBS | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (R, 2/15/24) | 185,000 | 2.76 |
| NBC | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 220,000 | 3.31 |
| 12:37 AM | |||
| ABC | Nightline (1/2 hour) | 89,000 | 1.75 |
| CBS | After Midnight (R, 2/27/24) | 100,000 | 2.11 |
| NBC | Late Night With Seth Meyers (R, 1/28/24) | 140,000 | |
(R) = Repeat
© The Nielsen Company, used under license.
Live+SD ratings (All Viewers 2+)
| Network | Show Name | Total Viewers | % Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 PM | |||
| CC | The Daily Show (R, 2/26/24) | 256,000 | 0.64 |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| ABC | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 1,554,000 | 4.99 |
| CBS | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (R,2/15/24 ) | 1,204,000 | 3.88 |
| NBC | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 1,449,000 | 4.70 |
| 12:37 AM | |||
| ABC | Nightline (1/2 hour) | 751,000 | 3.23 |
| CBS | After Midnight (R,2/27/24 ) | 499,000 | 2.32 |
| NBC | Late Night With Seth Meyers (R,1/28/24 ) | 854,000 | 3.94 |
(R) = Repeat
© The Nielsen Company, used under license.
