Report: DVR Boosts Lifts Colbert To #1 In Young Adults

Late-night daily programs typically don’t see big spikes in DVR playback, but delayed viewing has helped lift Stephen Colbert’s premiere week as host of “The Late Show” on CBS to a No. 1 finish among young adults, reports Variety.

According to Nielsen’s “live plus-7” estimates for the Sept. 7-11 frame, “Late Show” pulled into a tie with NBC’s “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in adults 18-49 (1.5 rating), with the CBS program gaining 0.6 from its same-day ratings and erasing the NBC show’s 0.3 advantage. It also moved to No. 1 outright ahead of “Tonight” in adults 18-34 (1.1 rating), gaining 0.4 or 57%.

Colbert won his opening week in total viewers over Fallon, but that advantage grew from the previously reported 510,000 to about 1.21 million in L+7. On average, 6.07 million viewers watched the premiere week of “Late Show,” with 27% of that audience watching delayed in the seven-day window.