Key facts
- "60 Minutes" season premiere drew 7.9 million viewers.
- Viewership fell 21% from the previous year's premiere.
- This is the lowest-rated season premiere for the program in the 21st century.
- The episode was the first premiere this century to fall below 9 million total viewers.
- The NFL game lead-in to "60 Minutes" drew 18.4 million viewers, down 22% from the previous year.
The season premiere of CBS News' "60 Minutes" saw a significant drop in viewership, drawing 7.9 million viewers, a 21% decrease from the previous year. This marks the lowest-rated season premiere for the program in the 21st century, and the first time it has fallen below 9 million total viewers in this century. The decline occurred under the new leadership of top CBS News editor Bari Weiss and lead producer Nick Bilton, who took over the program this summer.
Nielsen ratings indicate that the premiere audience was also more than 10 million smaller than its NFL lead-in game, which attracted 18.4 million viewers, itself down 22% from the prior year. Viewership for "60 Minutes" also fell sharply during the broadcast, from 9.4 million in the first quarter-hour to 6.7 million in the final quarter-hour.
CBS highlighted positive aspects, noting that "60 Minutes" remained the week's top non-sports primetime program and Sunday's number one news program, with social video views nearly tripling. The episode featured interviews with a US Air Force pilot who survived being shot down in Iran and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay. Correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim reportedly chose to remain with the program after Bilton pledged to uphold journalistic standards. Weiss, who has faced accusations of political bias, has denied them.