CBS’s 60 Minutes continues to see viewers turn away with big ratings drop in second week of revamped show
Por Isabel Keane — – World RSS Feed
CBS’s 60 Minutes continues to see viewers turn away with big ratings drop in second week of revamped show
Network’s flagship show reportedly saw 18 percent fewer viewers during its second show of the season compared to its premiere
Isabel Keane in New York Tuesday 22 September 2026 21:59 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
CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss’ overhaul of 60 Minutes continues to face challenges as the revamped show saw a big drop in viewers for its second week.
The revered news program had 6.5 million total viewers Sunday, an 18 percent drop from the first episode of the season, which had about 7.94 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, cited by the Daily Beast.
Of those viewers, only 1.1 million were in the key 25-54 demographic, marking a 30 percent drop-off from the season premiere.
The most recent episode, which featured a heavily promoted interview with Patrick Clancy, reportedly performed slightly better than last season’s second episode however.
The Independent has reached out to Nielsen and CBS News for comment.
open image in galleryThe show’s fall in ratings follows a tumultuous few months at CBS News, after billionaire David Ellison acquired Paramount — CBS News’s parent company — and appointed Weiss, a conservative columnist, as editor-in-chief last October.
After taking the job, Weiss promptly ousted several veteran 60 Minutes correspondents, including Scott Pelley and Cecilia Vega. Another, Sharyn Alfonsi, left after her contract expired.
Weiss, who came into the role with no prior broadcast experience, has also been accused by critics of dictating that the network’s news coverage be more favorable toward the Trump administration and Israel, claims that she has denied.
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.”
open image in galleryThe appointments included Ross Douthat, a conservative New York Times opinion columnist and podcaster, and Norah O’Donnell, a CBS News senior correspondent.
For Sunday’s episode, Clancy was interviewed by Douthat, while O’Donnell reported on tensions in Texas over the creation of AI data centers.
Ahead of the premiere, Weiss was reportedly 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.
More about
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
