CBS Rules a Shrinking Market, Complicating Moonves's Ad Pitch
- Most of viewer losses this season look like one-time problems
- Annual upfront means more when you don’t have any cruise ships
Leslie Moonves
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
When CBS Corp. Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves meets with major advertisers this week, he’ll declare victory for the 14th time in 15 years -- once again the network is the most-watched in the U.S. Only this time, the taste isn’t so sweet.
A paragon of stability in a turbulent TV business, CBS is showing signs of fatigue. The network’s prime-time audience is down 12 percent this TV season that’s just ending -- and 20 percent lower in the demographic that counts most to advertisers.