After some effusive praise for CBS’ cost containment and ability to withstand the economic downturn, Sumner Redstone, executive chairman, CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS), handed the call over to Les Moonves, CEO and president. Before hanging up, Redstone repeated a line he gave when introducing the Viacom (NYSE: VIA) earnings call…

In most cases, online is generally the bright spot on a company’s earnings report. But not in CBS’ case, as the Interactive segment’s 5 percent ad decline offset the 8 percent growth at the TV network and cable. No wonder CBS (NYSE: CBS) Research head Dave Poltrack was so incensed…

		EPS*	Rev. vs Q408	Net Inc. vs Q408
CBS Corp.	Release	N/A	1%	23%

* vs. Analysts' Estimates: Beat Met Missed

*CBS* Interactive’s move to curtail its dealings with ad networks effective today represents one of the key ways Cnet has influenced its parent since being acquired for $1.8 billion last year. Madison (named for the avenue), the in-house online ad serving platform that CBS Interactive (NYSE: CBS) will rely on…

Updated: *CBS Interactive* is cutting the cord on third-party ad networks and some online ad exchanges effective immediately, paidContent has learned. The company is preparing its own ad serving platform, dubbed Madison, to power the CBS Interactive (NYSE: CBS) Premium Ad Network for its group of properties, betting that it…

*CBS* should be pleased with its choice to allow *Microsoft* to sync Xbox LIVE to Last.fm, as the partnership has already netted the streaming music service nearly a million new subscribers. Last.fm went live on Xbox last Tuesday, and both companies are already hyping the deal as a success in…

Four months after announcing the features, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) added social networking and music radio functionality to its Xbox 360 console on Tuesday, along with the first European foray for its Zune brand (see earlier reports from Tameka and I). Here are my initial explorations with each new service…

Quincy Smith, the outgoing head of CBS Interactive (NYSE: CBS), spoke last week at NewTeeVee Live conference in SF, where he spoke about the future of online video, and the tension between online and the traditional TV side. A great line about promo value of online video for networks: “3…

Mark May is a principal and senior internet and digital media research analyst at Needham & Company, LLC, a full-service growth-company investment bank. Ken Sonenclar’s Leading Voices piece on Thursday titled “Five Media Deals I’d Like To See Happen In 2010” was thoroughly thought-provoking. Here are my own thoughts around…

—Twitter: Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) senior research scientist Utkarsh Srivastava—whose expertise is in building large-scale distributed systems—is joining the microblogging service in an unspecified role, Louis Gray reports. He confirms the move—on Twitter. —Discovery Communications: Todd Zander has been promoted to vice president of digital media distribution, tasked with expanding the…

Recent reports have suggested that display advertising is experiencing a tentative comeback, thanks in part to the adoption of larger ad formats over the past few months by publishers inside and outside the Online Publishers Association. CBS Interactive (NYSE: CBS), which posted 14 percent decline in revenues in Q3 last…

Quincy Smith came to *CBS* in late 2006 to make deals and make them he did—with just about everyone but Hulu. He had been advising CEO Leslie Moonves on corporate internet strategy as an investment banker for Allen & Co. In an interview with paidContent Wednesday afternoon about “the worst…

It’s official. Deal maker Quincy Smith is leaving as CEO of CBS Interactive after three years to start a boutique consulting/M&A shop with CBS as the first client. The news, broken first by Kara Swisher, was announced by CBS this afternoon. (Release after the jump.) Neil Ashe will remain as…

Several key Last.fmers who have been with the social music site since its early days will follow their founders out the door in the next few weeks, as CBS (NYSE: CBS) continues to struggle with the integration of its $280 million acquisition. —Head of music Jonas Woost (pictured), who has…

While most radio stations are looking for ways to expand their online presence, *CBS Interactive* Music Group is doing the opposite with social music site Last.fm. by giving the brand an all new station to be broadcast on the company’s HD multicast stations. Last.fm will effectively take over CBS (NYSE:…

The difficult media landscape is encouraging more content companies to start sharing content. Today’s partnership comes from CBSSports.com and Sports Illustrated. The two will mix and distribute each other’s content across their online properties, as well as in Sports Illustrated magazine. The deal also includes *CBS* Interactive’s high school sports…

The concept of “TV Everywhere” won’t reach critical mass until perhaps 2014, according to some players, and even that date is uncertain, said CBS Interactive (NYSE: CBS) CEO Quincy Smith, speaking on the B&C/Multichannel News’ sponsored TV Everywhere and Anywhere panel at the Paley Center. The main problems preventing wider…

From my live Twitter coverage (sdkstl) of the CBS (NYSE: CBS) earnings call featuring Chairman Sumner Redstone, CEO Leslie Moonves, outgoing CFO Fred Reynolds, incoming CFO Joe Ianniello: »  Moonves: improvement has been very steady, very real. ... Q2 better than Q1, Q3 better than Q2. Signs of recovery gathering…

While many news outlets pull back on sports coverage, CBSSports.com is trying to blitz its way into some local love by embedding a reporter with each NFL team. Each of the 32 correspondents is fully credentialed and will cover his or her respective team from training camp through the season—exclusively…

Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) is still proving to be the big online hold-out amongst the four music majors. Seven months after it pulled its videos and songs from YouTube, and 13 months after ending its license with Last.fm, fans still can’t play any of WMG’s Madonna, Red Hot Chili…