US networks to release 7 day projections with overnight data

In what appears to be a growing trend in the US TV ratings industry, CBS and NBC have announced they will be joining Fox in delivering live seven-day projections alongside their overnights data.

For CBS, the changes reflect the “continued industry shift” to L7 and C7 ratings – the metrics that help the industry more accurately account for how viewers watch shows and how companies get paid for programming – both in advertising and content licensing.

The L7 rating includes live viewing plus seven days of time-shifted viewing. The C7 includes delayed viewing in which the advertising is seen.

In an announcement on Wednesday, CBS’s president and CEO, Leslie Moonves, said: “C7 deals were a significant part of our Upfront negotiations this year, and we are doing more and more C7 deals all of the time.

“As new technologies continue to improve audience measurement across all platforms, these more precise metrics are becoming the industry standard, benefiting advertisers and content providers alike.”

NBC will include projections for both the three days and seven days following a programme’s original airing. However, the network will not include projections for new series because they do not yet have a “track record” on which to base the forecasts.