Ratings for the Sunday premiere of '60 Minutes' see steep drop from last year's opener
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Set us as preferred Sunday’s highly anticipated premiere of “60 Minutes” scored 7.9 million viewers according to Nielsen, the lowest for a season opener since 2000.Nielsen data showed the news magazine was down 21% compared to last year’s opener, which averaged 10.3 million viewers.The premiere was the first ratings report card for the program since a major upheaval that occurred behind the scenes under CBS News Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.The number — which was also below the 2025-26 season average of 9.1 million viewers — has to be a disappointment to CBS News.
The episode received a major promotional push in the weeks leading up to the premiere, which featured an exclusive interview with an Air Force officer who was shot down over Iraq.The story of the pilot’s heroism may not have been enough to overcome the public’s antipathy toward the U.S.
military operation which has gone on much longer than President Trump predicted.The program did suffer from some comparisons to 2025.The ratings for “60 Minutes” are often tied to the lead-in from the late afternoon NFL game on CBS, which was also off from 2026.Most of the country saw the Minnesota Vikings top the Green Bay Packers by a score of 39-22 which, with 18.4 million viewers, was down 22% compared to a comparable broadcast window last year.
Books The Democrat that Fox News viewers love to hate offers advice for those uncomfortable political conversations.Broadcasters tend to blame Nielsen when there are significant ratings declines.The NFL has already raised concerns to the research company about changes to its methodology in counting viewers, as the first week of games are down significantly compared to a year ago.This year, CBS did not have the exclusive late Sunday window with its NFL game.
Fox carried the Philadelphia Eagles-Washington Redskins contes...