Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Episode Scores Ratings Win Over ‘Tonight Show’

Letterman tops Fallon in household ratings with Colbert guest spot

Stephen Colbert reads his first top 10 list on Letterman

Never mind the naysayersStephen Colbert is already doing good things for CBS’s “Late Show.”

“Colbert Report” host Colbert — who’ll be taking over “Late Show” when David Letterman steps down in 2015 — dropped in as a guest on the show Tuesday night, resulting in the CBS late-night offering scoring a household ratings win over traditional front-runner “The Tonight Show.”

Also read: Stephen Colbert Says Goodbye to Jon Stewart, ‘Daily Show’

CBS’s “Late Show” took top honors in household ratings, scoring a 2.5 rating/6 share in Nielsen’s 56 metered markets, compared to the 2.3/6 earned by NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” drew third place with a 1.7/4.

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, “The Tonight Show” still prevailed handily in the 18-49 demographic most sought by advertisers, posting a 0.9/4, versus an 0.5/2 for both “Late Show” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

See video: Stephen Colbert Gets to Know San Fernando District, and Its Porn

This isn’t the first time that “Late Show” has topped “Tonight,” and the rise wasn’t particularly dramatic. On the Tuesday prior, “Late Show” scored a 2.4 rating — and that was with a repeat.

Still, it could be an indication that the Comedy Central host could be bringing his famous Colbert Bump to CBS.

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