NETWORK’S PRIMETIME SERIES AVERAGE MORE THAN 12 MILLION VIEWERS, UP +53% OVER ITS LIVE PLUS SAME DAY AVERAGE

First Year of Live plus 35-Day Ratings Is a Historical Milestone in Evolving

Audience Measurement

CBS’ primetime entertainment series grew an average of +53% from its live plus same day average, according to 2016-2017 full season Nielsen Total Content Ratings (TCR). Nielsen’s TCR measures live plus 35 day viewing across multiple viewing platforms including VOD, TV and DVR. CBS measurement of online and mobile viewing is still in development and not included in this metric.

Based on TCR full season data, CBS’ entertainment series delivered an average of 12.1 million viewers on a live plus 35 day basis, +53% more than its live plus same day average (7.9m) and +15% greater than its live plus 7 day average (10.5m).

“With this first-ever reported full season data, TCR measurement continues to prove significant gains in viewers watching CBS’ television programming,” said David Poltrack, Chief Research Officer and President, CBS Vision, CBS Corporation. “With changing viewer habits and digital consumption on the rise, CBS has the ongoing opportunity to grow our audience, offer viewers greater access to our content and to expand options for our advertisers. And now that YouTube TV and Hulu’s new TV streaming services are being counted by Nielsen, we expect an even greater boost in our viewership numbers going forward, along with more opportunities to monetize delayed viewing.”

The first full season of live plus 35 data represents a historical milestone in television audience measurement as it captures for the first time uncounted viewers not initially reported in linear TV ratings over live plus same day and live plus 7-day windows and devices. Next season, Nielsen and CBS are working to incorporate additional delayed viewership on digital screens as well as incremental viewing on the rapidly expanding universe of OTT services, which will boost live plus 35-day TCR metrics even more.

Among viewers, CBS’ largest gainers were THE BIG BANG THEORY (+9.26m), NCIS (+6.34m), BULL (+6.49m) and BLUE BLOODS (+6.37m). On a percentage basis, among the series posting the greatest live plus 35-day increases were ELEMENTARY (+86%), CODE BLACK (+79%), SCORPION (+76%) and CRIMINAL MINDS (+75%).

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