Seth Meyers posts solid ratings in ‘Late Night’ bow

Seth Meyers is off to a solid start as the new host of NBC’s “Late Night� talk show, following a strong first week from Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show.�

According to early numbers from Nielsen, Monday’s premiere of “Late Night with Seth Meyers� delivered an average of 3.42 million viewers, the franchise’s biggest audience for a Monday telecast in nine years.

Among key 18-49-year-old viewers, Meyers drew a rating of 1.4, also the best Monday since 2005. Guests included Amy Poehler, Vice President Joe Biden and musical group A Great Big World.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

The last time a Monday “Late Night� had a bigger audience was in 2005, when a repeat got a big boost from a highly rated “Tonight Show� tribute to Johnny Carson.

Monday’s numbers are higher than the premiere of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon� in March 2009, which nabbed 2.87 million viewers and a rating of 1.3 in 18-49.

Fallon left “Late Night� with a bang earlier this month. His final episode behind the desk averaged 6.6 million viewers.

Earlier this season, Fallon was averaging 1.99 million viewers overall and a rating of 0.6 in the key 18-49 demographic.

Fallon has posted a robust sampling so far from on the “Tonight Show,� which he took over from longtime host Jay Leno.

PHOTOS: Classic ‘Tonight Show’ moments

In his first week, he averaged 8.5 million viewers, the biggest numbers that program has seen in 20 years -- surely benefiting from NBC’s Olympics coverage as its lead-in.

Monday night’s “Tonight Show,� the first Fallon episode to not follow an Olympics telecast, drew 6.26 million viewers and a rating of 2.1 in 18-49.

The next weeks and months of ratings will provide a better idea of how Meyers and Fallon are faring in their new jobs, but the early numbers are a positive sign for NBC.

Fallon and Meyers have both been important personalities at NBC for a long time, and have followed similar paths on the network, both moving to “Late Night� after stints at “Saturday Night Live.� Meyers was best known for anchoring the “Weekend Update� segments on “SNL.�

Previous “Late Night� hosts Conan O’Brien and David Letterman jumped to earlier time slots after their tenures. Letterman has hosted “The Late Show� on CBS for more than two decades. “Conan� airs on TBS.

ALSO:

TV ratings: NBC scores with ‘Voice,’ ‘Blacklist’

Netflix-Comcast deal ends consumption dispute

TV ratings: Sochi Olympics close lower than Vancouver

[email protected]

Twitter: @rfaughnder