Have You Been Watching Conan O’Brien?

Conan O'Brien could have some sweet, sweet victory when the national ratings come out. The early household metered market numbers show the TBS premiere of Conan rivaling NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Conan drew a 2.8 rating. Tonight a 2.7. Late Show with David Letterman a 2.5. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon a 1.2. Late Late Show with Craig Fergusona 1.4. These are shaky local market household ratings, but they do suggest good news for O'Brien. Households tend to indicate how the race among total viewers -- Leno's strong suit -- will turn out. But 18-49 -- which tends to be O'Brien's strength -- is the more important demo. If O'Brien's total viewer number is on par with Leno's, he stands a fair chance of beating Tonight among young adults. We'll know more in a few hours when the national cable ratings are released. As rivals are sure to point out, the series premiere of a new late-night program is almost always victorious compared to regular telecasts, though it's still impressive anytime a cable show beats broadcast. (Hollywood Reporter)