- With just three weeks left in the broadcast TV season, CBS is heading into upfronts with a key sales pitch: TV's the one (and CBS TV in particular) to drive consumption, particularly when it comes to car buyers and moviegoers.
- The network is using not just its ratings power, but also Nielsen and Rentrak data that matches TV ad delivery to purchasing. Chief Research Officer Dave Poltrack says the network delivers more buyers of cars, movies, and financial services, as well as leading retail, restaurant and travel, Ad Age notes.
- This season, CBS is averaging 11.4M viewers a night, against NBC's 8.83M, and leads in its target demo of adults 25-54.
- Despite the data, CBS can't really negotiate around it, with the demographic buying model still dominant. But it can stick up for TV in an age when digital ads and ad tech are forcing advertisers to question its power: "There's a new generation of marketing execs who haven't been presented with any substantive about how powerful a medium TV is, and that's what we're doing. We're providing that information," says Poltrack.