CBS Research Chief Asks Whether People Watch TV Anymore, Reveals The Answer

"Are people still watching TV?" asked David Poltrack, executive vice president and chief research officer at CBS, referring to the title of a seminar hosted by European research organization Esomar on Thursday in New York. "Short answer: yes, more than ever."

Poltrack proceeded to mount a spirited defense of the continued influence and salability of network TV programming, countering much-discussed doom-and-gloom scenarios about the deleterious effects of "non-linear" technologies like DVR and VoD. Naysayers predicted that these technologies would undermine mass-market TV by allowing viewers to cherry-pick their favorite programs and watch them without advertising--but both predictions have proved wrong, according to Poltrack, who presented statistical evidence for his assertion.

Overall, Poltrack argued that time-shifting technologies have served to strengthen, rather than undermine, the position of brand leaders, in a trend that is likely to continue through the proliferation of new media viewing devices. Which is all to say: content is still king.

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Citing numbers from Nielsen tracking DVR usage as well as Arbitron's recent Portable People Meter study in Houston, Poltrack noted that the use of time-shifting programs has actually resulted in a net increase in TV viewing in households that adopted them. Not only that, but the most-recorded and watched programs--often watched several times--matched Nielsen's list of leaders in general viewing in the 18-49 demo, with "Desperate Housewives," "CSI," "Survivor," and "Lost" at the front of the pack.

What's more, given the choice between paying a dollar per program with no commercials versus $.50 with commercials in a VoD format, fully half of respondents in an Esomar study opted for the cheaper alternative, according to Poltrack--and again, most selected programs that corresponded heavily with Nielsen's industry leaders.

Taking a step back, Poltrack also noted that services like DVR and VoD have not achieved anywhere near the penetration predicted in optimistic forecasts by pundits eight years ago. "We're now at DVR's eighth birthday, and it's achieved about 8 percent penetration," Poltrack said. "Clearly, most people feel DVR is something they can live without."

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