Well, this is slightly embarrassing. Letterman just notched another stunning ratings win over Conan — for the fifth consecutive week, his Late Show topped the Tonight Show in total viewers (by a margin of 2.95 million to 2.94 million), a victory rendered even funnier by the fact that Conan was in new episodes and Dave’s were repeats. NBC PR was quick to point out that Tonight was still ahead in the all-important 18 to 49 demo, though that’s what they always say these days when something mortifying like this happens. The question is how CBS will next top this hilarious feat — can Dave beat Conan with a month’s worth of repeats? Perhaps a full week of Late Shows comprised only of hour-long installments of “Will It Float”? We’d watch that.
Late Show with David Letterman [TV by the Numbers]
The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien [TV by the Numbers]
