Kimmel scores in earlier time slot
Ratings soar in his first night at 11:35 p.m.
ABC finally let Jimmy Kimmel play with the big boys last night. And in his first outing in his new time slot (11:35 p.m.) the late night talk show host beat Letterman and Leno head to head.
If you're keeping Nielsen scores at home, the overnight data looked like this: Jimmy Kimmel Live 2.8 rating/8 share; Late Night with David Letterman (2.7/7); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2.5/7).
Not bad. Especially since that's 65% higher than Kimmel's average in his traditional midnight slot. OK, it's not quite as big an audience as Nightline was pulling at 11:35 p.m., but ABC will happily console itself with an infusion of younger viewers for Kimmel.
The new show got off to a rowdy start as Jimmy's first guest busted up the place. Check it out.
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