Latenight ratings: Stephen Colbert settling into second place

Weeks after Stephen Colbert joins the fray, an equilibrium is emerging, with Colbert in second and Jimmy Fallon in first.

It’s been a couple of months since Stephen Colbert took over for David Letterman as the host of CBS’ The Late Show, and it seems like things are settling into a recognizable pattern. Mainly, that pattern involves Jimmy Fallon being on top and Stephen Colbert trailing at a respectable distance. Here’s a handy chart, courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, showing where things stand among viewers 18-49.

If CBS was entertaining ideas about Colbert beating Fallon in the ratings, it’s been disappointed. It’s probably pretty easy to get over, though, as Colbert has been performing much better than Letterman did in the same timeslot, both in terms of live audiences and digital views. According to Adgate:

"“[Colbert]…has a much higher second-screen presence than Letterman did…That’s where a lot of the younger viewers — and a great promise for monetization — are going to be in the months and years ahead.”"

In fact, The Late Show has seen a ridiculous 2,230 percent rise in streaming. That is a lot of percent. Clearly he’s doing something right.

Also interesting is the fact that Conan O’Brien seems to have slipped a few places and is now pulling about equal with people like Andy Cohen (the host of Watch What Happens Live on Bravo) and Chris Hardwick (host of @midnight). As usual Carson Daly is not pictured.