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Conan Beats Leno In Late-Night Ratings

New York Post, Monday, July 5, 2010 11:16 PM

Four months after taking back the "Tonight Show," Jay Leno's ratings are actually behind those of Conan O'Brien. The reality is starting to sink in at NBC that Leno is not only getting fewer viewers, but that his show is costing the cash-strapped network between $10 million and $15 million more a year than Conan's show did.

Leno's higher salary -- $30 million per year vs. Conan's $15 million -- plus the cost of his bigger production staff is pushing the show into the red, according to insiders. Leno beats David Letterman most weeks, ABC's nightly newsmagazine, "Nightline," is now the top-rated show after 11:30 p.m. Of most concern to NBC is that the numbers for Leno -- who is seen by about 4 million people a night -- are going down.

Read the whole story at New York Post »

media measurement, television

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