Team Leno or Team Fallon? And why Jimmy Fallon will win either way.

Jimmy Fallon has ascended to The Tonight Show, following legends like Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, and most recently, Jay Leno. But times have changed, andtelevision ratings aren’t evaluated the same way anymore.

Here are three reasons why advertisers want Jimmy Fallon to succeed in the Tonight Show arena:

1. He already has a following

Between his days on Saturday Night Live, his short movie career and his Late Show, Fallon has amassed quite a fan following. He has more than 11 million Twitter followers that he can communicate with before and after the show and his musical impressions and skits garner millions of viral views on social media. His famous #Hashtag skit with Justin Timberlake alone was viewed more than 21 million times on the Late Night’s YouTube channel. Not to mention that social media has made live television watching popular again. Audience’s want to live tweet his episodes and talk about the show the next day at work.

2. He has a total audience

Advertisers value a show’s total audience – it’s viral video views, Twitter followers and the live television audience. Fallon might not attract the same size audience that Leno once did, but audience composition can matter just as much as size. Sam Armando, senior VP director of strategic intelligence at Publicis Groupe’s SMGx said, “If [Mr. Fallon] gets a more gender-balanced [audience] and attracts a younger, harder-to-reach audience, even if total audience shrinks, it can still be a win.” And with many of his skits having a long digital afterlife, the possibilities for new fans are endless.

3. He’s advertiser-friendly

One of the big differences between Leno and Fallon is their cultural relevance. Fallon is younger and bases his show around pop culture, while one of Leno’s last jokes involved OJ Simpson. Advertisers love that Fallon is willing to accommodate more live on-air sponsorships. It also doesn’t hurt that Fallon is very likeable. Celebrities and fans alike all love him and want to be a part of his new show, which bodes well for his long-term success with both advertisers and the public.

The television landscape is very different than it used to be and advertisers have to be cognizant of all the different audiences. If advertising on network television isn’t right for your brand, second-screen advertising, Hulu, and YouTube are all successful options that are becoming increasingly more popular.