CBS announced their March Madness results and it seems that at least in this contest, the underdog has triumphed. CBS made more per their online viewer than per their offline viewer (let’s say it together, NETWORK TV). Specifically CBS made a $44 CPM online and $42 offline.

A slim margin; but hey this isn’t Vegas we don’t play the spread, this is a real game and when time runs out it’s who is ahead that counts. Online is more valuable media. But we knew that.

As this scenario repeats itself over and over again in the coming year it will be greeted with shock and denial. The denials will be clothed as arguments that each instance is a special exception (there is nothing like March Madness). And the shock, well anyone who is shocked has been in a coma since 2004.

The online audience rates the bigger ticket because of their engagement and their accountability, no matter how imperfect our current metrics. Also and I know this shouldn’t count, but it really does. Consumers, fans, whatever you want to call people, are now reliant to live their lives on the 24/7, moving-in-real time ubiquity of the medium. You can make book on that attraction and it is that attraction that makes most other media irrelevant.

So it costs a little more…get used to it.

Kathy Sharpe, CEO

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