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This story first appeared in the April 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
TV ratings are only half of the equation in late night these days.
Every show — from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver — has a digital strategy in place designed to drive views, clicks and shares of their video clips as they chase the ever elusive viral hit.
So which host reigns supreme online? According to data from YouTube, Fallon had the channel with the most views during the month of March. His 233 million views, driven by a surge in views to a September segment with Ariana Grande, was more than double the next best channel, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
But views only tell part of the story. Watch time for each channel, a metric that measures how long people are spending watching videos on the channel, is key to explaining how engaged viewers are with the videos. While Fallon also rules over watch time, Oliver came in a close second thanks for a lengthy segment on Donald Trump.
The Hollywood Reporter breaks down what the views mean below:
Click to enlarge
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