60 Minutes premiere ratings drop 21 percent with weaker NFL lead-in
The first episode of the 59th season of 60 Minutes aired on September 13, 2026, on CBS and drew fewer viewers than last year's debut.
Overall audience numbers decline
Nielsen data shows the telecast reached about 7.94 million total viewers. This figure represents a drop of more than two million people compared to the previous season premiere. The show still remained the week's most-watched news program despite these lower figures.
Demographic shifts in viewership
Viewers aged 25 to 54 fell by 33 percent to approximately 1.58 million. This demographic group is the one most coveted by advertisers for news programming. The average audience for the program last season was higher at 8.16 million viewers.
Impact of football lead-in
The NFL game preceding the show had significantly fewer viewers than the matchup from a year ago. CBS late afternoon football audiences were down about 22 percent compared to the previous September. Ratings for the newsmagazine often fluctuate based on whether it has an NFL lead-in across most of the country.
All 2 outlets report consistently
No differences in figures, names or dates across these reports.
- Variety
- The Hollywood Reporter
Reported by
2 independent outlets. Headlines as published. Links open the original report.