Second quarter ratings are in for the late night world, and Jay Leno is still on top, despite being mere months away from NBC pushing him out the door. From April to June 2013, The Tonight Show was #1 in overall late night ratings and #2 in the 18-49 demographic, finishing behind Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, which was hosted by John Oliver for the last three weeks of the quarter. While it seems unwise for NBC to be pushing Leno out the door while he’s #1, it’s best that they do it now than before his ratings start to fade and younger-skewing competitors like Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Daily Show continue to rise in the ratings and draw the 18-49 demo away from The Tonight Show. Of course, this is all grounds for NBC to do something crazy like giving Jay Leno a 10pm talk show again, so we’ll just have to see how the guy’s continued ratings success determines his next move. Stay tuned as this latest round of “The War for Late Night” may not be over yet.
Check out the complete second quarter late night ratings below (via Variety):
TOP POST-PRIMETIMEWEEKNIGHT SHOWS(April 1-June 30, 2013)*ADULTS 18-49The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) 1.114 millionThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) 1.080 millionJimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) 885,000The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) 876,000The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) 777,000Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 701,000Nightline (ABC) 543,000Conan (TBS) 532,000The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS) 491,000TOTAL VIEWERSThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) 3.575 millionThe Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) 2.767 millionJimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) 2.490 millionThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) 1.987 millionLate Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 1.780 millionThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS) 1.391 millionNightline (ABC) 1.614 millionThe Colbert Report (Comedy Central) 1.521 millionLast Call with Carson Daly (NBC) 899,000
