Editing Late Show with David Letterman (section)

==Ratings and revenue==
The show's highest rated episode was on February 23, 1994, after the [[1994 Winter Olympics]] (78.8&nbsp;million) with 15&nbsp;million viewers. Its second-highest-rated show aired two days later with 11.1&nbsp;million viewers. Both were preceded by the [[Figure skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics#Ladies|ladies' figure skating competition]] which had high interest due to the [[assault of Nancy Kerrigan]] at the [[1994 United States Figure Skating Championships]] by Tonya Harding's ex-husband and due to both women competing in the event.

In February 2013, [[TV by the Numbers]] reported that ''Late Show'' averaged about 3.1&nbsp;million per show in season-to-date live-plus-seven-day ratings (i.e., from February 4).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/02/14/late-night-tv-ratings-for-february-4-8-2013/169497/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218030117/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/02/14/late-night-tv-ratings-for-february-4-8-2013/169497/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 18, 2013 |title=Late Night TV Ratings For February 4-8, 2013 |publisher=Zap2it |date=February 14, 2013 |access-date=September 14, 2013|quote=Season-to-date figures are averages of 'live plus seven day' data except for the two most recent weeks, which are 'live plus same day.' ... Season to date/Total viewers ... 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. ET: NBC "Tonight," 3.6 million viewers, CBS "Late Show," 3.1 million viewers, ABC "Kimmel," 2.8 million viewers**}}</ref> A year later, average viewership was down to 2.8&nbsp;million.<ref name="AdAge2014" />

In 2009, the show led other late night shows in ad revenue with $271&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brian|title=Leno's Triumphant Return to Late Night May No Longer Matter |url=http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/leno-s-triumphant-return-late-night-longer-matter/142330/|work=Advertising Age|access-date=April 5, 2012|date=March 1, 2010|quote=Late Show with David Letterman: $271m; The Tonight Show: $175.9m; Jimmy Kimmel Live:– $138.1m; The Daily Show: $52.4m; The Colbert Report: $41.8m; Chelsea Lately: $40.7m; Lopez Tonight: $9.1m}}</ref> In February 2014, ''[[Advertising Age]]'' cited [[Kantar Group#Kantar Media|Kantar Media]] and [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen]] in reporting that for January to October 2013, ''Late Show'' attracted $179.6&nbsp;million in advertising for CBS, higher than its seven late-night competitors on NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, and E!.<ref name="AdAge2014">{{cite web|url=http://adage.com/article/media/jimmy-fallon-s-tonight-show-thrive-fewer-viewers/291646/ |title=Why Jimmy Fallon's 'Tonight Show' Can Thrive with Fewer Viewers when Conan's Couldn't|first=Jeanine|last=Poggi|work=[[Advertising Age]]|date=February 13, 2014 |access-date=February 14, 2014}}</ref> ''Late Show'' also had the oldest median audience among those same peer broadcasts,<ref name="AdAge2014"/> at 58.9.

The final episode of ''Late Show with David Letterman'' on May 20, 2015, was watched by 13.76&nbsp;million viewers with an audience share of 9.3/24, earning the show its second-highest ratings (following the 1994 Olympics on February 25, 1994); further, it saw the show's highest demo numbers (4.1 in adults 25-54 and 3.1 in adults 18–49) since Oprah Winfrey's first ''Late Show'' appearance following the ending of her feud with Letterman on December 1, 2005. In a rarity for a late-night show, it was also the highest-rated program across all network television that night, beating out all {{em|prime time}} shows.<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/david-letterman-late-show-finale-early-ratings-2015-5 David Letterman's farewell episode nabs biggest audience in over 2 decades] ''[[Business Insider]]'' (May 21, 2015)</ref> In Canada, the final episode was watched by 784,000 viewers, representing 516,000 more viewers than the show's closest competitor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/BillBriouxTV/status/601812121677070336|title=Bill Brioux|work=Twitter}}</ref>

Late Show has a 100% Average Tomatometer and 78% Popcorn meter on Rotten Tomatoes <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/late_show_with_david_letterman | title=Late Show with David Letterman &#124; Rotten Tomatoes | website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] }}</ref>