Leno Ratings Doomed...as Is the Future of Network TV

It's probably going be more like a cable network

(NEWSER) - Monday was a milestone for NBC’s misbegotten Leno experiment: only 4.6 million tuned in, the worst Monday of the year, writes Matthew Greenberg. This is getting so bad it may signal the beginning of the end of NBC as we know it. The network’s rationale for putting Leno at 10pm was that the show would be cheap to produce, attract younger viewers, and stay topical when dramas go into re-runs. But on Monday, 11.2 million watched CSI: Miami—even though it was a re-run. More»

NBC aims to snag viewers in prime-time experiment

(NEWSER) - Jay Leno isn't losing any sleep over his upcoming exit from the late-night world, he tells the New York Times. The announcement by the Tonight Show host that he's moving to the 10 pm spot at NBC stunned many who expected him to switch to ABC. Leno's excited about the move, though is still working on the format for the program, which represents a big gamble for NBC officials hoping to snag late-night viewers earlier. More»

Critics left cold by victorious host's Tonight Show return

(NEWSER) - Jay Leno made his triumphant return to the helm of the Tonight Show last night. Critics say it was like he never left, although they're split on whether that's a good thing:

• The back-to-the future Tonight Show had "neither pop, nor sizzle, nor surprise, and no amount of cheerleading from unconvincingly hyper-first guest Jamie Foxx could make it seem otherwise," complains Steve Johnson in the Chicago Tribune.

Tonight Show ad implies Conan O'Brien never belonged there

(NEWSER) - NBC aired the first promo for Jay Leno’s return to the Tonight Show last night, and it seems to include an underhanded dig at Conan O’Brien. The ad, a sequel to last year’s Super Bowl promo for the Jay Leno Show, shows a “10” decal flying off Leno’s sports car to reveal a new one: “11:35.” The mean part? The Beatles sing, “Get back to where you once belonged” in the background. More»

Network to produce 20 pilots next season

(NEWSER) - Now that NBC is nearly past the Jay Leno-Conan O'Brien fiasco, the network is refocusing on the job at hand: correcting a 5-year slide in ratings. The Leno gambit, which CEO Jeff Zucker described as an experiment in the "economics" of network television, represented the network's hope that Leno could draw viewers with a show that cost much less than scripted programming. Now NBC is taking the opposite approach. More»