Citing Weekend Numbers in NY, LA and Dallas, CBS Says Blackout Won’t Affect Ratings

By Merrill Knox 

With the CBS-Time Warner Cable dispute still underway, CBS is touting weekend ratings at its O&Os in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, saying the blackout “will not present an overall ratings hardship.”

From Friday to Sunday, the late local news averages for WCBS in New York, KCBS in Los Angeles and KTVT in Dallas were up +9% in Total Viewers and +13% in the A25-54 demographic compared to the same period last week. The Friday to Sunday primetime averages for the stations in the ad-friendly A25-54 demographic is identical to the same nights the prior week, according to CBS.

The blackout affects 3.2 million Time Warner customers across the three markets. Citing “strong ratings growth” this summer and traditionally low viewership during the month of August, CBS says the “overall financial impact” of the blackout will be “negligible.”

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Read the release from CBS after the jump.

RATINGS HIGHLIGHTS FOR CBS-OWNED STATIONS IN NEW YORK (WCBS), LOS ANGELES (KCBS) AND DALLAS-FORT WORTH (KTVT and KTXA) FRIDAY, AUGUST 2 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 4

  • Saturday and Sunday’s coverage of the World Golf Bridgestone Invitational was up 150% percent in viewers, 110% in homes and 300% in adults 25-54 compared to last year.
  • Friday-Sunday, the late local news averages for WCBS, KCBS and KTVT were up 9% in viewers and 13% in adults 25-54 compared to the same nights one week ago.
  • Friday’s Texas Rangers-Oakland Athletics game on KTXA was up 9% in homes (5.8) and 2% in viewers (200,000) compared to the station’s season average for Rangers baseball.  The 5.8 rating in homes is the station’s highest rating for a Rangers game in four weeks.

RATINGS IN CONTEXT OF TIME WARNER CABLE DISPUTE

  • Time Warner Cable has blacked out CBS stations to 3.2 million of its customers in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth.
  • The influence on the stations’ ratings averages is expected to be minimal.  Friday-Sunday, the primetime average for New York, Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth in the key adults 25-54 demographic is identical to the same nights one week ago.
  • Because of CBS’s strong ratings growth this summer, the net effect of the blackout will not present an overall ratings hardship.
  • In addition, August is traditionally one of the lowest months of the year for ratings and advertising revenue, making the overall financial impact of the blackout negligible.

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