Speaking at the opening session of the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena on Saturday, CBS' entertainment chief, Nina Tassler, said that rival channel NBC's last year decision to move comedian Jay Leno to 10 p. m. prime-time slot, replacing traditional scripted drama, had brought about increased advertising benefits for CBS.

Tassler said that the shifting of Leno's long-running late-night show to prime time in September, with O'Brien taking Leno's place as "Tonight Show" host, had "allowed CBS to get a bigger piece of the ad revenue pie at 10 p. m." Tassler further added: "We have to realize that ABC, Fox and CBS all fared very well during this experimental phase for NBC."

According to Tassler, local stations, worried about low ratings for "The Jay Leno Show," have apparently pressurized NBC to do a U-turn on its controversial decision - even though no schedule changes have been announced as yet.

The failure of NBC' experiment with the Leno show had, in Tassler's opinion, substantiated the fact that scripted drama and comedy had retained their place on network television during the 2009-10 TV season.

Tassler said that the season has been a good one for CBS - the top-ranking television network in the US - and it remained the most-watched network in the country, with its hit crime franchises "CSI" and "NCIS" and top comedy "Two and a Half Men."