Two new shows launched in the same midnight timeslot during the last two weeks, and the rating are in for the initial episodes of Comedy Central’s Chris Hardwick-fronted game show @midnight and TBS’s The Pete Holmes Show. Last week, @midnight debuted to 549,992 total viewers and 260,876 adults 18-49, while Pete Holmes’ first episode this week to 407,000 total viewers and 245,000 adults 18-49.
That said, @midnight benefits from having a stronger lead-in in The Colbert Report (628,000 in the 18-49 demo) compared to Pete Holmes’s lead-in, Conan (482,000 in 18-49).
While both hosts are technically competing in the ratings, they’ve been friends for years and don’t see it that way (Holmes even has a podcast on Hardwick’s Nerdist network). “I really am one of those ‘there’s room for everyone’ guys,” Hardwick explains. “I sort of feel like when everyone supports each other, it raises the water level for everyone.” Holmes concurs, saying, ” I really take pride in the “room” comedy scene – not the alt scene, but the rooms as opposed to the clubs – that has never been that competitive, has always had a healthy understanding of there being abundance and there being room for you and room for me, that has even carried on into the TV world”
