Conan O'Brien's farewell attracts big ratings

Not surprisingly, the last edition of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien was a ratings magnet for the ailing NBC. The comedian, who talked about how he “did it my way” and did not “regret a second,” earned a whopping 7.0 rating/16 share in 55 of the country’s metered markets (the most immediate numbers available). Ratings for his fellow latenight hosts didn’t even come close: The Late Show with David Letterman averaged a mere 2.5/5, while Nightline earned a 2.8/6, and Jimmy Kimmel Live, a 1.3/4. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, however, was able to draft off of O’Brien’s success: his show averaged a respectible 3.3/10, easily beating Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (1.5/4). Final ratings for last night are due Jan. 28.

For more on O’Brien’s departure:

Conan O’Brien’s final monologue

Conan O’Brien’s last night: your take?

NBC reaches a resolution on Conan, announces Jay Leno is back on Tonight March 1