'60 Minutes' Hits 5.64 Million Viewers, One of Its Smallest Audiences in Years

By Daniel Okafor

'60 Minutes' drew 5.64 million viewers on Sunday, according to Nielsen data — one of the smallest audiences the CBS newsmagazine has posted in years. The figure came without a strong NFL game as a lead-in, which usually explains a slump. This time, the arithmetic is worse than routine.

The fifth episode of this season's cycle attracted just 558,000 viewers aged 25 to 54, the demographic advertisers covet most in news programming. Since 2000, no sixth episode of the program — the source's benchmark for this stage of a season — has failed to draw at least seven million total viewers and one million in the advertiser category.

CBS News declined to make executives available for comment. The network had not released the Nielsen numbers publicly as of Tuesday evening. Four people familiar with the information confirmed the figures.

For the night, '60 Minutes' ranked as the second-most-watched non-sports program on broadcast TV, trailing the CBS dramas 'Tracker' and 'Marshals.' The show typically finishes first in that category.

How steep was the decline?

Steep. Compared with the year-earlier telecast, which enjoyed a more robust football lead-in, Sunday's episode fell 60% in total viewership. In the 25-to-54 demographic, the drop reached 81%.

The broadcast also faced competition from a late football game on Fox. That explains some of the shortfall. It doesn't explain the rest.

'60 Minutes' has long stood as one of the most-watched programs on television that isn't tied to sports, and it exists, in the network's design, to funnel NFL audiences into the rest of CBS's Sunday primetime lineup. Sunday, the funnel ran dry.

The numbers may cause consternation at CBS News, the CBS network and corporate parent Skydance.

Why is CBS News under pressure?

The program was overhauled in chaotic fashion at the end of last season, even as it mustered a notable 9% uptick in overall viewership.

Bari Weiss, CBS News' editor in chief, ousted Tanya Simon, an executive producer with years of history at the show. Her replacement: Nick Bilton, a journalist and screenwriter with less formal TV experience. Also pushed out were correspondents Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. Anderson Cooper left of his own volition after his contract ended.

The replacements include Ross Douthat and contributors such as Ariel Levy and Sebastian Junger. They have top-shelf backgrounds. They also have little experience on a weekly TV program built around long-form enterprise journalism — a format that rewards institutional memory more than bylines.

What was on the air?

Sunday's telecast featured an investigation into the Trump administration's efforts to deport people to countries where they have no ties. The report revealed how some deportees are subsequently forced back to the nations they originally fled.

The segment echoed a story from last season, in which Alfonsi examined the deportation of some migrants to harsh prisons in El Salvador. That earlier report generated controversy because Weiss asked for it to be held at a late stage in production.

The episode also carried interviews with Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Tina Peters, a top election official whose sentence — tied to a conviction for breaching her county's election system — he commuted.

What comes next?

The question at CBS News is whether Sunday was a scheduling anomaly or a leading indicator. With Weiss's rebuilt roster still learning the weekly rhythm, the program needs its NFL lead-in back — and advertisers will be watching whether the 25-to-54 figure rebounds with it.