Conan Claims Victory In Late Night: Number One Among Viewers 18-49

TBS is jazzed about ratings information from Nielsen that show Conan beating its late-night rivals among a key demographic: viewers aged 18-49. According to a report by New York Magazine, Conan O’Brien‘s new show is averaging 1.44 million viewers in the advertiser-friendly demo, “about 100,000 more than nemesis Jay Leno (1.35 million) and substantially more than CBS’s David Letterman (1.16 million) and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show/Colbert Report tandem (about 829,000 for the hour).”

The numbers do come with a catch, however: TBS is counting what’s called “live plus seven,” meaning viewers who catch Conan as it airs, and viewers who watch the show on DVR over the next seven days.

As NY points out, what’s indisputable about the ratings data is this: Conan’s King among younger viewers, with an average age of 33, compared to 42 for Jon Stewart and a comparatively ancient 56 for Leno and Letterman.

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