June 9, 2009 10:14 PM
- Text
David Letterman Closes in on Conan, Renews Contract (Updated)
(MoneyWatch) 
(UPDATE: Dave actually beat Conan on June 9 with a 3.4 rating/8 share, compared with Conan's 2.9 rating/7 share. There were some mitigating circumstances, but looks like there's a new late-night war on. Goodie!)
Somehow, in all of the hubbub surrounding Jay Leno's sacrificing the "Tonight Show" chair to Conan O'Brien, one possibility has been little talked about: the chance that CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" which long ago faded in the ratings up against Leno, might experience a resurgence with the fly-over state friendly Leno out of the picture.
Well, now that O'Brien is settling into his new job, the answer is maybe. Nielsen's national overnight rating for Monday night saw O'Brien score a 3.1 rating/8, while Letterman had a 3.0/8. Yes, the ratings were almost the same. Compare that to Leno, who, on an average night in the second quarter, had a rating of 3.9. (For the uninitiated, Nielsen ratings represent the percentage of the audience being measured that is tuned into a particular program; share represents the percentage of those actually watching TV at a given time who are tuned into a particular program.)
As Television Week points out, the raw number of viewers may not matter, as media companies and advertisers remain hung up on the 18-to-49 demo; the first set of demographic numbers for O'Brien on "The Tonight Show" won't come in until Thursday and are likely to show a broader gap between the two shows; Letterman also had a better guest Monday night in Howard Stern.
Still, though I'm sure it didn't hinge on O'Brien's early numbers, it's probably no coincidence word leaked today that Letterman has just renewed his contract for another two years.
Previous coverage of the late night wars on BNET Media:
(UPDATE: Dave actually beat Conan on June 9 with a 3.4 rating/8 share, compared with Conan's 2.9 rating/7 share. There were some mitigating circumstances, but looks like there's a new late-night war on. Goodie!)Somehow, in all of the hubbub surrounding Jay Leno's sacrificing the "Tonight Show" chair to Conan O'Brien, one possibility has been little talked about: the chance that CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" which long ago faded in the ratings up against Leno, might experience a resurgence with the fly-over state friendly Leno out of the picture.
Well, now that O'Brien is settling into his new job, the answer is maybe. Nielsen's national overnight rating for Monday night saw O'Brien score a 3.1 rating/8, while Letterman had a 3.0/8. Yes, the ratings were almost the same. Compare that to Leno, who, on an average night in the second quarter, had a rating of 3.9. (For the uninitiated, Nielsen ratings represent the percentage of the audience being measured that is tuned into a particular program; share represents the percentage of those actually watching TV at a given time who are tuned into a particular program.)
As Television Week points out, the raw number of viewers may not matter, as media companies and advertisers remain hung up on the 18-to-49 demo; the first set of demographic numbers for O'Brien on "The Tonight Show" won't come in until Thursday and are likely to show a broader gap between the two shows; Letterman also had a better guest Monday night in Howard Stern.
Still, though I'm sure it didn't hinge on O'Brien's early numbers, it's probably no coincidence word leaked today that Letterman has just renewed his contract for another two years.
Previous coverage of the late night wars on BNET Media:
Latest Now in MoneyWatch
- Insurers respond cautiously to contraceptive plan
- Judge: Legally, breastfeeding not related to pregnancy
- Budget deficit drops to $27 billion in January
- Why the Powerball Jackpot is part of my investment strategy
- Is the new VW Beetle diesel worth the money?
- Consumer sentiment highlights risks to recovery
- Valentine blues? 10 best cities to be single
- December trade deficit widens to $48.8 billion
- Alcatel-Lucent returns to profit in 2011
- 6 things never to say in a performance review
- $26B mortgage deal: Who gets the money?
- Friendly's CEO steps down
- Quarterly loss hits $3.3B at Postal Service
- Greeks rail against cuts as EU demands more
- 6 things you should never share on Facebook
- Make moves now to increase financial aid
- Valentine's Day: 9 places to save
Latest CBS News Headlines
on Facebook
on CBS News
- Jennings' 24 lifts Bucks past Cavs 113-112 in OT
- Pistons win 4th straight, 109-92 over Nets
- Pistons win 4th straight, 109-92 over Nets
- 8 more arrests in U.K. tabloid bribery probe
on Facebook
- Adele sings a cappella for Anderson Cooper
- Beyonce and Jay-Z post first photos of Blue Ivy Carter
- Adele sings a cappella for Anderson Cooper
on CBS News
