The newly retooled 60 Minutes suffered a heavy TV viewers falloff in its season premiere, Selection reviews. The scores for the investigative information program’s first episode dropped 21% from the earlier season’s premiere, declining from 10.02 million to 7.94 million viewers in response to Nielsen knowledge. Moreover, viewers ages 25 to 54 have been down 33% to about 1.58 million in comparison with final 12 months.
Previous to 60 Minutes, CBS broadcast the Packers-Vikings soccer recreation, which obtained 18.6 million viewers — a decrease quantity than the NFL recreation which led into final 12 months’s 60 Minutes premiere, due to an NFL resolution to schedule doubleheaders on each the CBS and Fox networks. 60 Minutes nonetheless misplaced over 10 million viewers from its lead-in, although.
Sunday marked the start of the present’s 59th season, having first debuted on September twenty fourth, 1968. This newest season, although, is the fruits of a significant revamping of 60 Minutes by CBS Information editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and new government producer Nick Bilton. That revamping included the controversial firing of correspondent Scott Pelley after a public battle with Weiss over the course of the present. Different reporters and behind-the-scenes figures have been additionally proven the door or not requested to return during the last 12 months.
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Moreover, accusations of introducing political bias have plagued Weiss throughout her quick tenure, allegations that she and the community have denied. CBS settling a lawsuit with Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes phase in 2025 didn’t assist perceptions, with commentators saying the community was caving to political interference with press freedoms.
Bilton has instituted modifications in how the present is introduced, although there have been many acquainted components within the premiere. The featured segments included a narrative on a US airman who was shot down in Iran, a hidden digital camera take a look at brokers for felony pardons by Trump, and a promise to dedicate extra future reporting to the newest developments in AI.
This is the @CBSNewsPress launch concerning the “60 Minutes” season premiere. The newsmag averaged 7.94 million viewers, down from 10 million for the premiere episode final fall. pic.twitter.com/8luB3hT6UG
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 15, 2026