CBS Profit Decline

CBS Corporation the network behind CSI said that the departure of radio host Howard Stern was a hit in their bottomline in the estimated sum of 100 million dollars. Whew that’s pretty big man.

In an excerpt from the bloomberg’s story:

About 12.6 million viewers on average have tuned into CBS’s prime-time programs such as crime-drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ this season, according to New York-based Nielsen Media Research. That compares with 12.8 million viewers a year earlier, according to the media research firm.

Moonves, 56, is seeking to keep young viewers by putting shows on wireless devices and the Web. CBS is selling news alerts including video on mobile phones and last year struck a deal with Philadelphia-based cable company Comcast Corp. to sell CSI and other shows through video-on-demand.

Over the next year, we want to see progress on new revenue streams” such as selling TV shows over the Internet, said Jamie Rizzo, an analyst in New York at Fitch Ratings.

CSI’ is the No. 3 ranked program this season after Fox’s Tuesday and Wednesday editions of American Idol, according to Nielsen.

This is actually a boring story if not for the news on the network’s plan of offering CSI in mobile phones and internet.

How many of the forensics students will be watching the show in their devices while on the laboratory?