Note: LateNighter generally posts late night weekly live-plus-three ratings on a three (business) day delay, which is how they are released by Nielsen.
The two Jimmys (and one Seth) were the ratings beneficiaries of an unusual week for late night, with a pair of highly-rated NFL lead-ins giving the ABC and NBC shows a substantial boost on Monday and Thursday nights, respectively.
Among viewers aged 18-49, that was enough to backfill for an otherwise down week, with Fallon, Kimmel and Meyers all seeing week-over-week gains in the key demo.
Per Nielsen live-plus-three-day ratings data, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon took the top spot among younger viewers, drawing an average 315,800 viewers aged 18-49. That’s up 75% vs the same measure last week. ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! came in second, with a weekly viewer average of 1,200,000 in the demo, up a more modest 13% week-over-week.
The two show swapped spots among total viewers, where Kimmel ruled the roost with an average 1,620,000 viewers (-13% vs a week earlier) and Fallon was the runner up with 1,527,400 (-2% week-over-week).
Kimmel aired repeats Wednesday through Friday, while third-place finishers CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson were on break all week.
NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers was the only late-night show to see week-over-week gains in both key measurements, with Meyers taking the top spot at 12:35 a.m with an average of 961,000 total viewers (+5% week-over-week) and 176,400 in the demo (+25% vs the week prior).
The Daily Show was dark all Thanksgiving week, with Comedy Central airing other programming in its timeslot.
The week’s complete ratings charts follow below:
Weekly live+3 ratings – All Viewers (P2+)
| Show Name | Avg Share | Avg Viewers | vs last week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 PM | |||
| The Daily Show (CC) | |||
| 11:35 PM | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) | 6.13 | 1,620,000 | -13% |
| The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) | 3.97 | 1,195,800 | -44% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) | 3.97 | 1,527,400 | -2% |
| 12:35 AM | |||
| Nightline (ABC)* | 4.41 | 874,200 | -12% |
| After Midnight (CBS) | 2.46 | 501,800 | -21% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) | 5.12 | 961,200 | +5% |
Weekly live+3 ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)
| Show Name | Avg Share | Avg Viewers | vs last week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 PM | |||
| The Daily Show (CC) | |||
| 11:35 PM | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) | 4.92 | 281,200 | +6% |
| The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) | 2.29 | 155,400 | -38% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) | 5.39 | 315,800 | +75% |
| 12:35 AM | |||
| Nightline (ABC)* | 3.69 | 163,400 | -1% |
| After Midnight (CBS) | 2.03 | 96,200 | -32% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) | 4.09 | 176,400 | 25% |
Ratings Data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
