With the task of measuring TV viewing growing ever more complex, CBS is actively considering cutting ties with Nielsen as the companies negotiate a renewal of their long-term contract. The current deal, worth about $100 million, is set to expire on December 31. Sources familiar with the CBS perspective said the…

David Poltrack, a lion of the television research business whose career at CBS has spanned nearly 50 years, has announced his retirement as Chief Research Officer and President of CBS Vision. The exit planned for June 30, 2019, has been in the offing for years, the company stressed. But it is just the latest step in a…

Making the same bullish case he and other network executives have been making for years even as headwinds have picked up speed, CBS research guru David Poltrack added some new wrinkles to it, pointing to ad spending by tech giants and embrace of TV by millennials. In a 40-minute presentation at the 45th annual UBS…

No need to worry about the startling decline in NFL ratings this year — or many other perceived threats to broadcasting — CBS Chief Research Officer David Poltrack told investors today at his annual state of the industry report for the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference. Although the early season fumble in…

At the beginning of his traditional CBS session on TV ratings today at the TCA Summer Press Tour, CBS veteran chief research officer David Poltrack joked it was "the first time in 46 years" that he got to "play the big room". That is, the main ballroom where most of the panels take place, rather than appearing in some…

The effort, called the Campaign Performance Audit (CPA), is CBS’ biggest research investment yet to support TV advertising as broadcasters gird for an upfront season struggle to keep dollars from shifting to less expensive digital platforms. CBS says that it will pay to help buyers produce effective ads, find the…

Yes, Netflix is winning over a lot of television viewers — and digital media are taking dollars from broadcast and cable networks. But not to worry, CBS Chief Research Officer David Poltrack told the UBS  Global Media and Communications Conference today in his annual business forecast. Netflix still heavily depends on…

CBS said this morning it will add Live+7 projections to its daily same-day ratings reports, starting with the beginning of the 2014-2015 TV season on September 22. CBS said the move reflects the “continued industry shift” to L7 and C7 ratings which are a more accurate measurement of a show’s total audience — and a…

"If you were a sports reporter, you would not report the winner based on the third-inning score – that's what you're doing if you use Live + Same Day ratings," CBS Research guru David Poltrack chastised Reporters Who Cover Television this morning. He was one of four number crunchers who ran the reporters through a…