of the Daily News said the program was a "welcome addition" to late-night television, summarizing, "While the program as a whole has room to grow, Wilmore's comedy is sharp, solid and filled with keen observations and strong enough to have earned him the distinction of being the only high-profile black voice in late night television."The Hollywood Reporters Tim Goodman wrote that the show's premiere was: "predictably strong [...] the slight nitpicking should not obscure the fact that overall Wilmore was funny; his show was smart and thoughtful, has a bright future and seems an excellent fit with Stewart and the Comedy Central brand." Wilmore paid a special tribute to Colbert during the closing of the first episode by thanking him for "making 11:30 special." Following the debut of the first episode Stephen Colbert praised The Nightly Show on Twitter, saying he was impressed, and using the hashtag "keepingit100." Ratings The debut episode was watched by 963,000 viewers in its original broadcast in the United States. The show averaged 417,000 viewers a night in the key demographic of viewers ages 18 to 49 within its first three months. In March, the show's total viewings were down 38% from the average total of 1.24 million viewers received by The Colbert Report. By June 2015, the show's total 676,000 viewers average was down 45% from the average total of 1.24 million viewers received by The Colbert Report. The show's average 230,000 viewers in the key demographic of ages 18 to 49 a night was down 45% from the 417,000 viewers its first 3 months averaged. In August, International Business Times reported that Nightlys ratings were in a "freefall" due to losing its Daily Show lead-in audience (Daily had gone on a seven-week hiatus before Trevor Noah's debut as host) and lacking online viral hits. Nielsen showed Wilmore's ratings down 40% since Stewart's departure as Daily Show host.Average live viewers:' January 2015: 885,000 February 2015: 849,000 March 2015: 726,000 April 2015: 634,000 May 2015: 615,000 June 2015: 708,000 July 2015: 773,000 August 2015: 605,000 September 2015: 405,000 October 2015: 489,000 November 2015: 489,000 December 2015: 516,000 January 2016: 511,000 February 2016: 564,000 March 2016: 548,000 April 2016: 527,000 May 2016: 532,000 June 2016: 547,000 July 2016: 541,000 August 2016: 548,000 See also List of late-night American network TV programsThe Rundown with Robin Thede, a late-night talk and variety show hosted by a Nightly Show