Conan O’Brien’s shot heard ’round the world sent his "Tonight Show" numbers soaring as viewers seemed to vote for Team Conan with their remotes.
Tuesday’s episode scored a 1.7/7 in adults 18-49 in Nielsen’s 25 major markets with people meters. That’s a dramatic gain of more than 40 percent from Monday, when Conan averaged a 1.2.
Conan’s "Tonight," in what may well be one of its final broadcasts, crushed "Late Show With David Letterman" in the demo — nearly doubling Dave’s 0.9/4.
Final numbers won’t be in til next week, and the averages likely will change. But this date suggest a massive boost for O’Brien.
By contrast, Tuesday’s "The Jay Leno Show" was down about 10 percent from last Tuesday. A lower lead-in from "Biggest Loser," which was dented by the returning "American Idol," played a role. But it’s worth noting CBS’ "The Good Wife" seemed to benefit from the gazillion "Idol" viewers looking for something to watch after the Fox show wrapped.
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