Bari Weiss’ overhaul of 60 Minutes sees season premiere hit 25-year ratings low
Por Brendan Rascius — – World RSS Feed
Bari Weiss’ overhaul of 60 Minutes sees season premiere hit 25-year ratings low
Among adults aged 25-54 ratings plunged by 33 percent, according to a report
Brendan Rascius in New York Wednesday 16 September 2026 14:33 BST
- Bookmark
- Comments Go to comments
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks
Close popover
Your support helps us to tell the story
Read more Support Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference. Read more
60 Minutes opened its 59th season Sunday with its smallest premiere audience in at least a quarter-century following CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss’ overhaul of the flagship program.
About 7.9 million viewers watched the season premiere, down from roughly 10 million for last year’s opener, according to Nielsen data cited by The New York Times.
The decline was sharp among adults aged 25-54, a key advertising demographic. Preliminary Nielsen ratings, cited by Mediaite, showed viewership in that group fell 33 percent.
The episode — featuring an interview with an Air Force colonel shot down over Iran, a report on President Donald Trump’s pardons and a profile of a football coach — was the program’s least-watched season premiere since at least 2000.
The lackluster ratings come after months of upheaval at 60 Minutes and CBS News more broadly, following billionaire David Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount — CBS News’ parent company — and his appointment of Weiss as editor-in-chief last October.
open image in galleryUpon taking her leadership position, Weiss ousted several 60 Minutes veteran correspondents and staffers. She has also been accused by critics of steering coverage in ways favorable to the Trump administration and Israel, claims she has emphatically denied.
“What’s being called ‘editorial interference’ is in reality the job description of an editor in chief,” Weiss told The Wall Street Journal in June.
Longtime correspondent Scott Pelley was fired in June after reportedly accusing Weiss of “murdering” the flagship news program. A month earlier, correspondent Sharon Alfonsi was dismissed after publicly clashing with Weiss over the decision to pull a segment on a brutal Latin American prison. Anderson Cooper also departed the program in May, citing the importance of editorial “independence” in his final address.
In July, CBS News announced a slate of new hires to fill the vacancies created by those departures.
“An exceptional lineup of journalists will be joining 60 Minutes, carrying on its tradition of fearless, independent and impartial reporting,” Nick Bilton, the show’s new executive producer, wrote in a July 28 memo shared on X. “I can’t wait for them to get started.”
Bilton said five journalists would join the weekly broadcast for its 59th season. They include Ross Douthat, a conservative New York Times opinion columnist and podcaster, and Norah O’Donnell, a CBS News senior correspondent.
open image in galleryAhead of Sunday’s season premiere, Weiss was given a “blank check” to promote the revamped program, according to Puck News.
“Sources familiar with the plans say that CBS will blanket the airwaves and major markets with a multipronged, cross-platform campaign to emphasize the show’s new look and feel and commitment to its 60-year legacy,” the outlet reported in August.
The Times cautioned that television ratings are influenced by myriad factors. 60 Minutes typically follows NFL games, and both CBS and Fox aired games Sunday. Last year, by comparison, CBS had the Sunday NFL lineup to itself.
60 Minutes still remains the most popular news show on television. Last year, it garnered about 9.1 million viewers per episode, marking a 9 percent increase from the previous year.
The Independent has contacted CBS News for comment.
More about
60 MinutesCBS NewsNielsenMediaAnderson CooperDonald TrumpParamountNFLCBS
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Most popular
Popular videos
Bulletin
Read next
Fonte: – World RSS Feed
