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CBS’s Poltrack: Increased DVR Use to Boost Commercial Ratings

DVR playback viewing should continue to grow, increasing by 20 percent next year, according to a senior television executive. That growth will likely add ratings points to commercial ratings, says David Poltrack, chief research officer for CBS and president of CBS Vision. Commercial ratings are the currency upon which networks are expected to sell ad space beginning next year.

On average, DVR playback of network shows adds to programming ratings by about 4 percent, MediaPost writes. Commercial ratings have been shown to be about 95 percent of their associated programming ratings. So the drop of 5 percent from programming to commercial ratings is nearly cancelled out by the 4 percent increase from DVR playback viewership, Poltrack points out.

As playback continues to grow, commercial ratings could increase, perhaps by as much as 8 to 10 percent, giving the networks higher ratings to sell.

Poltrack spoke at a presentation last week at investment banker Bear Stearns, in a talk that was virtually the same one he gave the Television Critics Association in July.

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