All eyes, once again, are on a late-night timeslot, now that “Late Late Show” host Craig Ferguson will be leaving his 12:35 a.m. perch at the end of the year. Which brings me to … Seth Meyers, who’s been hosting NBC’s “Late Night” since the end of February, directly opposite Ferguson’s “Late Late Show” on CBS and ABC’s “Nightline.”
Most of the ratings chatter since the winter has been focused on Meyers’ NBC stablemate — “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon — but Meyers hasn’t exactly been a slouch in pulling good numbers. Last week, for instance, “Late Night” topped “Late Late Show” by a whopping 70 percent in adults 18-49 and by nearly 2 million viewers (and that was with a “Late Night” repeat factored in last Friday).
Meyers finished roughly 200,000 viewers behind “Nightline,” but “Nightline” airs for 30 minutes (12:35-1:05 a.m.) and was beaten by Meyers in adults 18-49 for their shared half hour. “Late Night with Seth Meyers” launched Feb. 24; since Feb. 17, NBC’s 12:35 a.m. slot has averaged 1.8 million viewers, beating “Nightline” (1.6 million viewers) and “Late Late Show” (1.4 million viewers).