The experts agree

The influential Jack Myers Media Business Report gave CBS 5 out of 5 "Jacks" (the equivalent of 5 out of 5 stars) in its annual Television Upfront Report card.

Here is Ed Martin's review:

CBS (5 Jacks)
Anyone who might wonder why CBS usually takes top honors for the week need only have walked through Carnegie Hall before its presentation even began to understand why it remains the network to beat for upfront effectiveness. For the better part of a half-hour before the show started, a vivid display of glamorous and exciting images and videos featuring all of CBS' stars filled the massive screen above the stage. It was so well-conceived and executed that it was mesmerizing to watch. The rest of the presentation was similarly impressive, from the usual opening remarks by CBS chief Leslie Moonves to the boundless enthusiasm of CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler to the introductions of cast members from almost every new and returning CBS show who were seated in the audience.

An opening video in which "2 Broke Girls" stars Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs, in character as waitresses Max and Caroline, struggled to make their way to Carnegie Hall and distribute their cupcakes, ended with Dennings and Behrs dashing down one aisle handing out their sweet treats. They were joined onstage by CBS Network Sales President JoAnn Ross, also in a waitress uniform, who remarked, "Sorry, we don't deliver. We over-deliver!" There was also a performance by rapper and "NCIS: LA" star LL Cool J and classical opera singer Danielle de Niese, an appearance by Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning (CBS has the big game next season), an appreciably fast presentation by Tassler of the network's new fall shows and a fine party afterwards. When it comes to generating first-class upfront excitement, nobody does it better than CBS.