Big ‘Get’ Boosts ‘60 Minutes’ in Second Episode, Easing Fears Over Ratings Slide

Amid fears about the leadership of its new editor-in-chief, CBS News’s “60 Minutes” upped its viewership in its second episode of the season on Sunday, featuring a much-sought guest, Patrick Clancy, whose ex-wife’s blockbuster murder trial of their three children ended in a mistrial earlier this month.The Sunday evening staple pulled in just over 6.5 million viewers for the second episode of its 59th season, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings — a modest improvement over the 6.454 million viewers who tuned in for the comparable episode last season.The show also gained ground in the advertiser-coveted 25-to-54 demographic, drawing 1.1 million viewers in that age group, about 20 percent higher than the 917,000 who watched last season’s second episode. Mrs. Clancy’s case was closely followed by TikTok-ers and online creators. Hundreds of moms stood outside the court building to support her throughout the five-week trial.The numbers offer some reassurance to CBS News after a turbulent off-season. The program is in its first full season under CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who brought in new executive producer Nick Bilton in May following the departure of former executive producer Tanya Simon and four longtime correspondents: Anderson Cooper, Cecilia Vega, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Scott Pelley. The shakeup prompted concern from within the network itself — former CBS News head Wendy McMahon said she was “concerned” that the “DNA of ’60 Minutes'” was being “rewritten.”Sunday’s audience was down 18 percent from the season’s September 13 premiere, which drew 7.935 million viewers, and the 25-to-54 demo fell 30 percent from the premiere as well. But unlike the premiere, which followed a nationally televised NFL game with 18.4 million viewers, Sunday’s episode lacked a football lead-in, making direct comparisons difficult.Notably, “60 Minutes” retained a larger share of its premiere audience than it did a year ago. This season’s second episode fell about 15 percent from the premiere, meaning the show kept roughly 85 percent of its opening-week audience. Last season’s second episode, before Ms. Weiss’s tenure, dropped 33 percent from its premiere, retaining only about two-thirds of the audience. A source familiar with the matter noted that a week-two decline is typical since the premiere benefits from two national NFL games while the second episode’s football lead-in varies by region.This year’s premiere had drawn scrutiny as the first true test of the Weiss-era “60 Minutes.” That episode featured an interview with an Air Force colonel shot down over Iran, a segment on lobbyists seeking presidential pardons, and a profile of Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay. Despite a 21 percent year-over-year decline in total viewers compared to last year’s premiere and a 33 percent drop in the 25-to-54 demo, the telecast remained the week’s most-watched news program and most-watched non-sports primetime program.Media critics who had speculated about how the show might change under Ms. Weiss and Mr. Bilton largely concluded that little had shifted. CNN media analyst Brian Stelter said Monday, “’60 Minutes’ is still ’60 Minutes.’ The program is still doing what it’s always done. There have been some changes around the edges, some modernization… The program is back and as strong as it ever was.”

Big ‘Get’ Boosts ‘60 Minutes’ in Second Episode, Easing Fears Over Ratings Slide

Big ‘Get’ Boosts ‘60 Minutes’ in Second Episode, Easing Fears Over Ratings Slide

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