The ABCs on DVRs, with Professor Poltrack

In the industry, Dr. David Poltrack, the aptly-named head of research at CBS, is legendary for his number-crunching exploits. He doesn't win every battle — CBS had to go young despite his years of using charts and graphs to prove beyond a doubt that old people buy stuff they see on TV — but he always come prepared.

I sat down with Poltrack on the patio of the Beverly Hilton (listen for the helicopter!) to get a primer in the only Nielsen rating that will matter to the networks next season. You've perhaps heard about live-plus-3 commercial ratings, or "C3." Here's a succinct explanation of what it is and how it will affect what shows live or die next season.

Even if you aren't much into research, you'll learn something. As with all TV Barn Podcasts, I've edited the tape so you only hear the highlights.

Download the podcast (9:59)