News/Campaigns/Administration

Obama interview delivers Leno a ratings win

President Obama’s appearance on the “Tonight Show” Thursday night brought the NBC program its fourth-highest rating under host Jay Leno’s tutelage, and its best ratings in four years.

The Obama interview, the first on-set interview of a sitting president on late night TV, drew a 11.2/26 rating.

(That means 11.2 percent of households tuned in, and 26 percent of households watching TV opted to watch the interview. According to a rough estimate, that would mean between 12 and 15 million households watched the interview.)

The Obama interview tied the Tonight Show’s tribute to former host Johnny Carson, Broadcasting & Cable reported.

The higher-rated shows include Leno’s first night as host, and the shows following the finales of TV shows “Cheers” and “Seinfeld.”

Tags Barack Obama Burbank, California Conan O'Brien David Letterman Entertainment Jay Leno Jay Leno Johnny Carson NBC Person Career Seinfeld Television Television in the United States The Tonight Show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

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