O’Reilly/Colbert: By Nielsen Standards, Both Men Won The Showdown

On Thursday, Stephen Colbert‘s appearance on The O’Reilly Factor boosted Bill O’Reilly‘s audience by 67 percent in the 25-54 demo and 46 percent among total viewers.

O’Reilly averaged 2,963,000 total viewers, up from a 4th quarter average of 2,029,000. In the demo, O’Reilly had 746,000 viewers, up from 447,000 in Q4.

Colbert reaped big gains from the showdown, too. Comedy Central’s Colbert Report averaged 1,641,000 total viewers, up 50 percent from Q4 and “a record high in that show’s 15-month history,” the NYT notes. Colbert had more 25-54 viewers than O’Reilly, averaging 929,000, up 46 percent from Q4.

Variety says both shows also put up high numbers in the 18-49 demo…

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