LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Fallon's start as host of The Tonight Show is a ratings winner for NBC.
Nielsen company figures released Tuesday show 11.3 million people tuned in to watch Fallon's New York debut on Monday night.
It was the second-biggest audience for Tonight since May 2009, when Jay Leno stepped down for Conan O'Brien's brief run as host.
Fallon's Tonight debut also fell short of the 14.6 million who tuned in Feb. 6 to see Leno sign off, again, after 22 years as host in Burbank.