Leno Ratings Hit New Low

Last night Leno's show hit a 1.2 rating among 18-49 year olds with almost 4 million viewers, a new low for the comedian. NBC claimed early on that The Jay Leno show would only need to receive a 1.5 rating for it to be financially successful, which for most prime time shows is an easily achievable feat. According to the NYTimes, The Jay Leno Show is stronger among male viewers, so the combination of post-season baseball and Monday Night Football has really taken a toll on Leno's ratings.

While I'm sure that sports have had a negative impact on Leno's ratings, that still doesn't excuse the fact that on a daily basis the viewing audience continues to send a message to NBC that they aren't interested in watching a late-night talk show during prime time. It remains to be seen how the poor lead-in is financially affecting affiliates; however, there is a clear correlation between the poor 10 o'clock ratings and the slipping ratings for Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon. No one is interested in watching 3 hours of talk shows per night. NBC needs to put their pride aside and realize that their experiment isn't working and attempt to salvage what's left of their prime time line-up.