Arsenio Hall Show Beats Leno, Kimmel, Letterman in Late Night Ratings

WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP. Arsenio Hall's return to late-night after a nearly two-decade hiatus bested many of the talk show arena's titans. The Arsenio Hall Show's debut episode beat out Leno, Kimmel and Letterman in the top 25 biggest markets.

Via New York Times:

Fans came out for the return of Arsenio Hall on Monday, lifting the first night of his new syndicated show to the top of the late-night ratings in the biggest 25 cities.

These early ratings are limited in reach, and don't include total viewer totals, but they show that Mr. Hall clearly made a dent on Monday. In the 25 cities, "The Arsenio Hall Show" averaged a 1.0 rating in the important category of viewers between the ages of 18 and 49.

That rating was bigger in those cities than Jimmy Kimmel on ABC (0.8); Jay Leno on NBC (0.6); or David Letterman on CBS (0.5).

While ratings watchers are quick to poo-poo on this feat, comparing Arsenio's return ratings to Conan O Brien's Tonight takeover, which brought in scored a 3.9, I believe this feat is even more impressive than the numbers let on. For one, the demographic being examined includes viewers who weren't even born the last time Hall was on the air. And, Hall's show isn't attached to any major networks, therefore, viewers have to actively seek out Hall's program if they wish to watch.

For a breakdown of what Hall has in the pipeline this month, check here. To see what Hall's been up to for the last 19 years, check out the video below: