In a move that should have been done a long time ago, CBS is officially moving its Sunday primetime lineup start to 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT when it has the NFL doubleheader. Now why it didn’t do this when the late games started at 4:15 p.m. is beyond me, but now that the NFL late games start at 4:25 p.m., it makes no sense to list the primetime start at 7 p.m. as CBS has done for many years.
In the Mountain and Pacific time zones, the start of primetime will not change.
With the push back of a half-hour in the Eastern and Central time zones, it means the entire primetime lineup will end at 11:30 p.m. ET so I’m sure the local CBS affiliates will love having their news come on later. And if the late games run past 7:25 p.m. as is often the case, local news could hit closer to midnight on the East Coast.
CBS does offer a couple of services to inform viewers when their shows will hit air on NFL Sundays, through a text service to your cell phones, e=mail or on Twitter.
Here’s CBS’ press release.
CBS LAUNCHES TWO INITIATIVES TO HELP VIEWERS NAVIGATE ADJUSTED START TIMES FOR SUNDAY SERIES ON NFL DOUBLEHEADER WEEKENDS
CBS’s Primetime Shows Will Be Listed to Start
30 Minutes Later Than Usual on NFL Doubleheader Dates In Eastern and Central Time Zones, With “60 Minutes” Leading the Night at 7:30 PM, ET/6:30 PM, CT
CBS’s Enhanced Multi-Platform Eye-lert System Enables Viewers to Receive Updates on Further Changes To Primetime Series Affected by Sunday Football Overruns Via SMS Texts, Twitter, Facebook Posts and/or the Previously Established Email AlertsIn an effort to further assist CBS’s Sunday night viewers in navigating primetime series time changes due to NFL overruns, CBS will list the scheduled start times for its Sunday night series 30 minutes later in Eastern and Central Time zones on doubleheader weekends. The Network also unveiled a multi-platform upgrade to the CBS Eye-lert system, which informs viewers of any further adjusted start times.
In response to the history of primetime delays on doubleheader weekends and the NFL’s recent announcement to move the kickoff time of the late afternoon games from 4:15 to 4:25 PM, ET, CBS will now list its lineup on NFL doubleheader Sundays as follows:
7:30 PM, ET/6:30 PM, CT — 60 MINUTES
8:30 PM, ET/7:30 PM, CT — BIG BROTHER 14 (through Sept. 23)/THE AMAZING RACE (as of Sept. 30)
9:30 PM, ET/8:30 PM, CT — THE GOOD WIFE
10:30 PM, ET/9:30 PM, CT — THE MENTALISTThe NFL on CBS’s 2012 doubleheader Sundays are: Sept. 16 and 23; Oct. 7 and 21; Nov. 4 and 18; and Dec. 2, 16 and 30. The start times for Sunday primetime series in Mountain and Pacific Time zones will remain as previously scheduled on those dates.
Additionally, CBS has upgraded its Eye-lert system, which originally debuted in 2007 as a means of informing viewers of the delayed start times of CBS’s Sunday night programs affected by football overruns.
Fans can now go to www.cbs.com/eye-lerts to sign up for SMS texts, Twitter tweets, Facebook updates and/or the previously established email alerts. Viewers who are already registered for alert emails through the previous system will continue to receive them unless they choose to unsubscribe.
Also, within a few weeks – prior to CBS’s official premiere week (Sept. 24-30) – viewers will be able to sign up for SMS text Eye-lerts without having to go online by texting a short code directly from their mobile device to register. Details on this additional registration option will be announced in the coming weeks.
In addition to the Eye-lert updates, CBS will continue to aggressively use on-air graphics on Sunday nights to alert viewers to adjusted start times
So the Weekend Viewing Picks will reflect the change this week especially for 60 Minutes and Big Brother 14.
