Leno & Fallon Remain on Top of Late-Night Competition

NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" have concluded the 2012-13 broadcast year with dominant wins Versus their broadcast time-period competition.

Both programs generated bigger audiences for the year than their ABC and CBS timeslot rivals in adults 18-49, total viewers and all other key measures - adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, plus total viewers.

For the broadcast year "The Tonight Show" and "Late Night" increased their leads over "Late Show" and "Late Late Show," respectively, Versus the prior year in viewers 18-49, viewers 18-34 and viewers 25-54.

Additionally, Leno and Fallon both steadily increased their margins through the course of the year, delivering bigger advantages from quarter-to-quarter throughout the year.

For the 2012-13 broadcast year, "The Tonight Show" increased its total-viewer margin over "Late Show" to 23% (3.550 million vs. 2.889 million), matching the year-ago 52-week advantage of 23%. In viewers 18-49, the lead grew to 29% (1.054 million vs. 820,000) from last year's 12%.

In the 25-54 demo, the lead grew to 21% (1.347 million vs. 1.110 million) from last year's 11% and the 33% lead in 18-34 (343,000 vs. 258,000) is up from last year's 26%.

Fallon finished the 2012-13 year with a total-viewer lead over "Late Late Show" of 21% (1.735 million vs. 1.435 million), virtually matching last year's 22%. Fallon increased his season lead over "Late Late Show" in adults 18-49 to 35% (687,000 vs. 510,000), up from last year's 24%; in adults 18-34 to 68% (294,000 vs. 175,000), up from last year's 56%; and in adults 25-54 to 21% (804,000 vs. 663,000), up from 18% last year.

For the third quarter, "Tonight" and "Late Night" earned their biggest quarter-long margins over CBS's "Late Show" and "Late Late Show," respectively, in the prior year, going back through the fourth quarter of 2012, with Leno's and Fallon's leads steadily increasing over that year. For the third quarter Leno led "Late Show" by a 53% margin in 18-49 viewers (1.057 million vs. 692,000), up from 39% in the second quarter, 17% in the first quarter and 14% in the fourth quarter of 2012. At 12:35 a.m. ET, Fallon topped "Late Late Show" by 53% (662,000 vs. 434,000), up from 43% in the second quarter, 30% in the first quarter and 18% in the fourth quarter.

In total viewers, Leno and Fallon also delivered their biggest margins of victory over "Late Show" and "Late Late Show," respectively, in four quarters, with "Tonight" topping "Late Show" by 37% (3,486 million vs. 2.552 million), up from margins of 29% in the second quarter, 16% in the first quarter and 13% in the fourth quarter of 2012. Fallon beat "Late Late Show" in the third quarter by 34% in total viewers (1.702 million vs. 1.272 million), Versus wins of 28% in the second quarter, 15% in the first quarter and 11% in the fourth quarter.

"Tonight" also continued to increase its margins over ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Versus their only two prior quarters of head-to-head competition in the hour, with a 49% third-quarter advantage in 18-49 viewers (1.057 million vs. 711,000), up from a 22% margin in the second quarter and a 9% lead in the first quarter. In total viewers, "Tonight" increased its lead over "Kimmel" in the third quarter to 65% (3.486 million vs. 2.2.117 million), up from 44% in the second quarter and 34% in the first quarter.

Fallon likewise pulled away from ABC's "Nightline" in their head-to-head half-hour from 12:30-1 a.m. ET. In the third quarter, Fallon prevailed over "Nightline" by 63% in viewers 18-49 (702,000 vs. 430,000), up from 48% in the second quarter and 30% in the first quarter. In total viewers the "Late Night" edge grew to 30% (1.850 million vs. 1.428 million from 12:30-1 a.m.), up from 23% in the second quarter and 15% in the first quarter.

"Tonight" finishes the broadcast year having delivered bigger 18-49 audiences than "Late Show" for the last 44 weeks in a row and topped "Kimmel" for 34 of their 37 head-to-head weeks. In total viewers, Leno has out-delivered "Late Show" for 48 weeks in a row and "Kimmel" for 37 of 37 weeks.

Fallon has now generated bigger 18-49 audiences than "Late Late Show" for 49 of the last 50 weeks and prevailed in total viewers for 46 of the last 48 weeks. Versus "Nightline" in their head-to-head half-hour, Fallon has out-delivered the ABC series for 37 of 37 weeks in viewers 18-49 and 22 weeks in a row in total viewers.

WEEKLY AVERAGES
(According to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research for the week of Sept. 16-20. Ratings reflect "live plus same day" data from Nielsen Media Research unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of "live plus seven day" data except for the two most recent weeks, which are "live plus same day.")

To post a comment, you must register and login.