60 Minutes draws 5.64 million viewers, among its lowest in years, without NFL lead-in
Nielsen figures for Sunday's 60 Minutes show 5.64 million viewers and 558,000 in the 25-54 demographic, with no strong NFL lead-in. Coverage ties the numbers to the show's overhaul under CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 2Sunday's episode of CBS's "60 Minutes" drew 5.64 million total viewers and 558,000 viewers aged 25 to 54, according to Nielsen data reported by Variety and, citing Status, by Raw Story. VarietyLC “drew only 5.64 million viewers, one of the smallest audiences for the program in years, according to data from Nielsen” Read at Variety ↗ Raw StoryL “Sunday’s episode averaged just 5.64 million total viewers, with only 558,000 in the 25-54 demographic” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 2CBS had no strong NFL game before the show; Variety also noted a late football game on Fox as competition. VarietyLC “Sunday’s telecast faced competition from a late football game on Fox.” Read at Variety ↗ Raw StoryL “The report notes that CBS didn’t have an NFL lead-in this weekend.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 1Variety reported that since 2000 the show had never fallen below seven million total viewers or one million in the 25-54 group. Against the year-earlier episode, which had a stronger football lead-in, viewership fell 60% overall and 81% in that demographic. VarietyLC “Since 2000, “60 Minutes” has never failed to capture less than seven million viewers overall and less than one million viewers in the advertiser category.”“fell 60% in overall viewership and a whopping 81% among viewers between 25 and 54” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 1The show was the second-most-watched non-sports program on broadcast TV that night, behind the CBS dramas "Tracker" and "Marshals"; it typically finishes first in that category. VarietyLC ““60 Minutes” was the second-most-watched non-sports program on broadcast TV, behind CBS dramas “Tracker” and “Marshals.” Typically, “60 Minutes” finishes first in that category.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Raw Story, citing Status's Oliver Darcy, said "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "The Price Is Right" each drew more viewers than "60 Minutes" in the 25-54 demographic. Raw StoryL ““America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “The Price Is Right” drew more viewers in the key demo than “60 Minutes,”” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 1Variety said CBS News declined to make executives available and had not released the data publicly as of Tuesday evening; four people familiar with the information confirmed the Nielsen numbers. VarietyLC “CBS News declined to make executives available for comment, and the network had not released the Nielsen data itself publicly as of Tuesday evening.” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 1The show was overhauled at the end of last season: editor in chief Bari Weiss ousted executive producer Tanya Simon in favour of Nick Bilton, and correspondents Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi were pushed out. Anderson Cooper left after his contract ended, and replacements include Ross Douthat, Ariel Levy and Sebastian Junger. VarietyLC “Bari Weiss, CBS News’ editor in chief, ousted Tanya Simon, an executive producer with years of history working at the show, in favor of Nick Bilton”“Also pushed out were correspondents Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Darcy said the overhaul was supposed to improve performance, but also cautioned it is early in the season and Bilton's team could still turn things around. Raw Story said a trend of struggling to match last season's numbers is forming, and quoted an unnamed veteran TV executive saying the show "actually can get worse." Raw StoryL “adding the caveat that it’s "early in the season" and Executive Producer Nick BiltonNick Bilton and his team could still turn things around”“Bari and Nick and team have shown it actually can get worse” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 1The episode included a segment on Trump administration efforts to deport people to countries where they have no ties, and interviews with Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Tina Peters. VarietyLC “The program featured a probe into the Trump administration’s efforts to deport people to countries where they have no ties” Read at Variety ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets treat the ratings as a warning sign for the revamped show. Variety, in trade-press style, calls the audience "alarming" despite the missing football lead-in. Raw Story, aggregating Status and Variety, calls the show a "flop" under Weiss.
- Emphasis
- Historic lows, year-on-year declines, the loss to entertainment shows in the key demographic, and the personnel overhaul under Weiss.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Raw Story leaves out Variety's context that Fox aired a late football game and that the show still ranked second among non-sports broadcast programs. It also numbers the episode as the sixth, where Variety says fifth. Variety notes last season's overhaul came with a 9% viewership uptick, which Raw Story doesn't mention.
- Charged language
- “alarming”“flop”“Oof”“embarrassing loss”
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Sunday's 60 Minutes drew 5.64 million total viewers and 558,000 in the 25-54 demographic, per Nielsen.
- CBS did not have a strong NFL lead-in that night.
- The show was overhauled under CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss, with Nick Bilton as executive producer.
Where accounts differ
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Which episode of the season it was
- Left
- Variety calls it the fifth episode; Raw Story refers to the sixth episode.
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What the numbers signal
- Left
- Variety calls them alarming but notes the football context and a rival game on Fox; Raw Story says they show the revamped show "continues to be a flop", while relaying Darcy's caveat that it is early in the season.
Bari Weiss person
Weiss is presented as the architect of the overhaul, which Status's Darcy says was supposed to improve performance. No comment from her appears in the coverage.
“Weiss’ "radical overhaul of the show was supposed to improve its performance, not lead to ratings losses,"” — Raw Story
60 Minutes organisation
CBS News declined to make executives available and had not released the data. Variety says the network is under pressure to show stability.
“CBS News remains under intense pressure to demonstrate stability at the program” — Variety
Left2 articles
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’60 Minutes’ Audience Sinks to Surprising Low Without Football
Critical Trade report on Nielsen numbers that treats the low as alarming while acknowledging the football context, with background on the overhaul.
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'Oof': '60 Minutes' loses key ratings battle to 'America's Funniest Home Videos'
Critical Aggregation that presents the ratings as proof the Weiss-led revamp is failing, leaning on Status's Darcy and an anonymous executive.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 27 Oct 22:27 First VarietyLC ’60 Minutes’ Audience Sinks to Surprising Low Without Football
- 28 Oct 14:04 +15h 37m Raw StoryL 'Oof': '60 Minutes' loses key ratings battle to 'America's Funniest Home Videos'
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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