<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > Despite poor ratings, Jimmy Fallon's "The Tonight Show" continued for another five years. </h1>
"Tonight Show," played by Jimmy Fallon, has been renewed for five years and is said to be longer than the promise originally promised
Susan Rovner, president of NBC Universal Television and Streaming, confirmed the renewal on Monday, even as the show's ratings are getting lower
Fallon, 46, hit a record low last September when viewers reached a frustrating 992,000, his first drop below 1 million
Even before the pandemic hit, Fallon had been battling his peers, with rival Stephen Colbert outpacing him in 2018
The "Tonight Show," played by Jimmy Fallon, has been renewed for five years, and it's reportedly a long-term commitment that lasted longer than NBC initially promised the host.
Previously, Fallon's show hit its 4th lowest-ever ratings in January, when his average total number of viewers was just 1.063 million.
Meanwhile, Fallon, 46, hit a record low last September, when total viewers reached a frustrating 992,000.
This was the first and only time Fallon's ratings fell below a million in Nielsen's final ratings, although the particular show has been delayed due to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals match.
There is much more to come:
Despite poor ratings, Jimmy Fallon's "The Tonight Show" was updated for another five years as ratings fell below a million last year
According to Variety, Susan Rovner, chairman of NBC Universal and Streaming, confirmed the renewal in an early speech at NBCUniversal on Monday.
The report added that despite the Evening Show by Stephen Colbert of CBS and Jimmy Kimmel Live of ABC, Fallon is considered an "integral part" of NBC and neither the show nor his work has been jeopardized.
Evening TV ratings wars
1. Stephen Colbert's Evening Show - 3.1 million viewers on average
2. Jimmy Kimmel Live! - Average 1.78 million viewers
3. "Tonight Show" starring Jimmy Fallon - 1.56 million viewers on average.
(Source: Nielsen, January 2021)
Even before the pandemic hit TV ratings hard, Fallon had been battling his peers, with rival Colbert overtaking him in 2018 ratings.
After falling behind Colbert, NBC hired jim Bell, an expert in journalism and sports studies, to try to help win over viewers, though it did work.
Fallon's team has also undergone major changes, with lead writer Rebecca Drysdale resigning last November.
Drysdale wrote in a Facebook post at the time: "They made it clear that I was not suitable to participate in the show, and that I did not disagree. ”
She added: "I wish the situation were different and I was able to do what they needed, but that wasn't the case. ”
Some tv critics expect late-night ratings to decline across the board after Donald Trump leaves the White House, but Colbert's ratings continue to soar, even surpassing Kimmel.
In January, Colbert's "Evening Show" reportedly had an average of 3.4 million viewers.
In contrast, Jimmy Kimmel Live! With a january rating of 1.79 million, Fallon's "The Tonight Show" attracted 1.59 million.
Security: Fallon is considered an "integral part" of NBC, and despite poor ratings, neither the show nor the work is threatened
From September 2019 to September 2020, Colbert averaged 3.46 million viewers during the 2019-20 radio season (1.94 million viewers for The Tonight Show).
But Fallon does outperform his competitors in terms of followers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok — arguably a place where many viewers flock to it instead of watching their TV.
Despite the ratings war, none of the three top hosts have fallen to staggering numbers like Johnny Carson, who drew 20 million viewers in 1969 when Tiny Tim married Miss Vicky while hosting The Tonight Show.
Previous large late-night battles were in the early '90s, between Jay Leno and David Letterman.