US: CBS attributes new audience to YouTube

Posted by Allie Judson on November 23, 2006 at 3:01 PM

Television network CBS has seen increases in two of its late night shows, which they attribute to clips uploaded to YouTube. The late night talk shows have seen a 5% and 7% increase of viewers since CBS began posting clips on YouTube.

CBS has uploaded 300 clips from various shows that have already been seen by 29 million viewers. "Although the success of these shows on YouTube is not the sole cause of the rise in television ratings, both companies believe that YouTube has brought a significant new audience of viewers to each broadcast," CBS said.

CBS is one of 19 networks that have uploading deals with YouTube. When asked about the partnership Quincy Smith, new president at CBS Interactive said, “We believe this inflection point is the precursor to many exciting developments as we continue to build bridges rather than construct walls.”

This is another example of social video and news sites increasing viewers. Sites like digg.com seem to add to website traffic although there are still no exact statistics supporting higher numbers. But the positive results of the CBS example demonstrate that newspapers should contiinue to adopt the social media trend.

Source:Market Watch Newsletter

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