Arsenio Hall sees strong ratings in return to late-night talk

Arsenio Hall just pulled something else out of his time capsule: Strong ratings for his new late-night talk show.

Nineteen years after leaving the late-night arena, Hall returned Monday with “The Arsenio Hall Show,” which airs in syndication nationwide, including 17 stations owned by Tribune (parent company of the Los Angeles Times).

For its premiere, “Arsenio Hall” beat every other competing broadcast talk show, with a 1.0 rating/4 share in the key adults ages 18 to 49 demographic, according to early data from Nielsen.

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On Tribune’s KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, the show was No. 1 in its time period with a strong 3.2 household rating.

Of course, late-night ratings are a marathon, not a sprint, and subsequent weeks will show whether Hall can maintain his momentum. But the show is off to a fine start.

The first show featured comic Chris Tucker and a musical performance by Snoop Dogg, who appeared on Hall’s old talk show that aired from 1989 to 1994. Comic bits included Hall opening a time capsule from when his old show ended and finding, among other items, a CD-ROM offering free AOL service.

What did you think of Arsenio’s comeback?

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