The "Tonight Show" and its host, Jimmy Fallon, are in a sharp ratings decline, The New York Times reported.
For the past 27 months the NBC late night host has been locked in stiff competition for ratings with Stephen Colbert and his CBS program, "The Late Show."
Earlier this year, Fallon conceded his throne as the king of late-night ratings to Colbert and the gap has been widening ever since, with Jimmy Kimmel snapping at their heels after gaining ratings for his slot on ABC.
Vulture noted that the rise in ratings for other late-night show hosts may be directly linked to their relentless anti-Trump focus.
Politics has always taken a back seat on Fallon's "Tonight Show," and while this strategy has served him in the past, since Trump took office late-night viewers may be looking for something with more bite.
A source told Page Six that Fallon was prepared to increase his focus on Trump in a bid to win views over, stating that Fallon was "feeling the pressure" and needed to change his format.
"They had to figure out a way to get Trump into his routine because he's too weak on Trump, and viewers are going elsewhere," the source told Page Six. "He's been uncomfortable talking about politics, and that's not what the people want."
Despite this, Fallon's viewership continues to slip.
NBC executivess have taken some comfort knowing that Fallon maintained a lead as the top choice among viewers in the 18-to-49-year-old group but now that lead is diminishing too, The New York Times noted.
This is according to Nielsen data based upon the November sweeps period, which showed that Colbert is closer than he ever has been to Fallon in that demographic, having closed the gap from 364,000 to 57,000 among younger viewers.
The New York Times noted that all three late night network shows had lost viewers in the 18-to-49 demographic, but Fallon had taken the hardest hit, with a 26 percent dip since the fall season began.
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