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As predicted, both Bill O'Reilly and Stephen Colbert saw substantial boosts in their respective ratings as a result of last Thursday's heavily-hyped showdown. TVNewser reports that Colbert's presence gave O'Reilly a whopping 67% boost in viewers age 25-54 for the evening, with a 46% increase among total viewers (2,963,000 total viewers, up from a 4th quarter average of 2,029,000). Colbert, meanwhile, saw a 50% increase compared to fourth quarter averages, with 1,641,000 total viewers (a record high in the show's 15-month history, as both TVNewser and the New York Times note). Colbert beat O'Reilly in the 25-54 demographic, averaging 929,000, up 46% from the fourth quarter. Variety reports that 1.1 million of Colbert's viewers were adults 18-49, while about 650,000 of O'Reilly's viewers fell within that age bracket.
