7-Day DVR Playback To Boost CBS Premiere Ratings

When Nielsen releases live +7 day ratings for the first week of the season on Monday, October 12, CBS Research estimates that the network will receive significant increases in ratings for that week.

DVR playback is at an all-time high, up 36% from premiere week last season, leading CBS researchers to anticipate major gains for some popular programmes when the live +7 day ratings are released. “With the growth of DVR penetration and usage, we can no longer evaluate the performance of programs simply based on ratings delivered the following day,” Executive Vice President of Planning and Research at CBS David Poltrack said.

“Viewers are now watching their favorite programs on their schedules as well as ours,” Poltrack continued. “The industry must now switch our collective focus away from the ‘partial’ overnight audience reports to the full audience reports when they come out some weeks later. That is when we see the true drawing power of the primetime broadcast network programs, which is only being enhanced by this new technology.”

Based on the network’s projections, CBS’s premiere week is expected to get a lift of one million viewers compared to the initial live plus same day DVR averages. In addition, 11 series are expected to gain at least half a ratings point in the key 18-49 demographic as well as the 25-54 demographic. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York are anticipated to receive increases in all three categories.