The Late Show with Stephen Colbert experienced a surge in ratings last week, thanks in part to the highly anticipated return of David Letterman to the show. The CBS late-night program recorded its best week of ratings since the first week following the writers strike. Letterman's appearance on Monday helped the show achieve its largest audience of the season.

While it may not reach the level of the late-night wars between Letterman and Jay Leno, the focus on linear ratings in the late-night landscape is gaining attention, especially amidst the challenges faced by these shows in the digital age. Viewers continue to shift towards digital platforms such as YouTube, leaving traditional late-night television networks with the need to adapt. Additionally, there have been discussions about budget cuts for these shows, with The Late Late Show with James Corden being replaced by After Midnight as a result of a reduced budget after the departure of the co-creator of Gavin & Stacey.

Despite these challenges, moments like Letterman's return still have the power to attract viewers. On Monday night, the episode garnered an impressive 2.18 million viewers, marking the show's largest live+same day audience since the end of the writers strike. This viewership also represents the highest average for any night since April when Lin-Manuel Miranda and John Kander appeared on the show. Notably, it is also the highest Monday audience since March, when Christina Ricci and Jen Psaki were guests.

According to Nielsen data, The Late Show averaged 2.57 million viewers with live+three day viewing for the week ending November 17. This surpassed Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which averaged 1.63 million viewers, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which averaged 1.32 million viewers.

Factoring in delayed viewing, The Late Show gained an additional 740,000 viewers from the initial live figure of 1.83 million. This represents the show's strongest weekly three-day audience and playback since the resolution of the writers strike back in October.

In terms of the coveted demographic, Jimmy Kimmel Live! had been dominating for six consecutive weeks. During the week of November 6, Kimmel and The Tonight Show tied for the top spot with a 0.15 rating among adults aged 18-49, as per Live + Same Day Nielsen data.

However, The Tonight Show managed to narrowly beat out Kimmel in the same demographic last week, earning a 0.17 rating compared to Kimmel's 0.16. The NBC late-night show further solidifies its focus on the digital market, boasting a significantly larger number of subscribers across social media platforms and a deliberate strategy to create viral celebrity videos. For instance, according to Listenfirst, The Tonight Show generated over 27.8 million views on its YouTube page during the week of November 6, while The Late Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! amassed 3.71 million combined views on their respective YouTube channels (though it should be noted that The Tonight Show was temporarily on a break during that timeframe).

It is worth mentioning that Kimmel enjoyed success with his most-watched season premiere in six years following the end of the writers strike. The episode garnered a total of 2.27 million viewers, surpassing both Colbert and Fallon, boosted by Monday Night Football on the east coast.