LATE NIGHT WARS

Letterman Tops Conan Already

Late Show wins for first time in eight months.

It's been a long time since the original "late night wars" of the mid-'90s, and now we are witnessing the sequel. David Letterman's Late Show beat Conan O'Brien's new Tonight Show in the ratings for the first time Tuesday, marking the first time CBS has topped NBC in the 11:30 timeslot in eight months. The Live Feed points out that NBC's broadcast of the Stanley Cup Finals may have given Conan a weaker "lead-in" than usual. An NBC exec also added that the ratings do not reflect demographic data about those that tuned in on Tuesday, as Conan's main audience is the highly-coveted younger demographic, a top priority for advertisers.