NBA-Boosted Jimmy Kimmel Tops Jimmy Fallon for First Time in Key Ratings Demo

Lead-in from NBA Finals gives ABC late-night show a win among the 18-49 crowd

Jimmy Kimmel April Fool's Day

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” reached a milestone last Thursday, topping Jimmy Fallon‘s “The Tonight Show” for the first time.

Boosted by an NBA Finals lead-in, ABC’s late-night offering took top honors in the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic on June 5, pulling in 1.482 million viewers in the demo and besting “The Tonight Show” by 21 percent in the demo. That marks the first time that Kimmel has beat out an original “Tonight Show” since Jimmy Fallon took over in February.

See video: Jimmy Kimmel Works Out His Pooping Problems With His 6-Year-Old Psychiatrist

Overall for the week of June 2, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” had its best week in the demo since mid-November with an average 977,000 viewers in the demo. With an average 2.763 million total viewers, the late-night show also had its largest audience in five weeks.

Even so, the week belonged to “The Tonight Show,” which took top honors in both the 18-49 demo with a 1.12 rating/5 share and in total viewers with 3.5 million. (“Jimmy Kimmel Live” took second place in the demo with a 0.77/4 and in total viewers with 2.763 million. The show was in repeats on Wednesday and Friday of last week.)

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