# 60 Minutes premiere drops 21%, and the NFL isn't the only suspect

> The newsmagazine lost 2 million viewers on opening night, and a weaker football lead-in may not explain all of it.
- Title: 60 Minutes premiere drops 21%, and the NFL isn't the only…
- Summary: The newsmagazine lost 2 million viewers on opening night, and a weaker football lead-in may not explain all of it. A softer NFL lead-in hurt, but the steep…
- Keywords: tv ratings, cbs news, 60 minutes, nfl, nielsen, entertainment, culture, Minutes, premiere, drops, isn't, only
- Source: Variety — https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/60-minutes-season-debut-tv-ratings-drop-cbs-news-nfl-blame-1236863080
- Author: Brian Steinberg
- Published: 2026-09-15T20:30:50+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: tv ratings, cbs news, 60 minutes, nfl, nielsen, entertainment, culture
## Premiere loses 2 million viewers
The season 59 opener drew about 7.94 million viewers, down 21% from nearly 10.02 million at last year's premiere, according to Nielsen.
## The key demo fell harder
Adults 25 to 54, the group news advertisers want most, dropped 33% to about 1.58 million from 2.36 million a year earlier.
## Football handed off less
The NFL game before it on CBS drew 18.4 million, down from 23.7 million last year. Insiders say 60 Minutes kept a bigger share of that crowd this time.
## Still the week's top news show
Even with the losses, it was the most-watched news program and the most-watched non-sports primetime show of the week.

> We are so proud of the exceptional journalism on display in our season premiere
## The overhaul is under scrutiny
Bari Weiss, CBS News' editor in chief, led an off-season shakeup that pushed out Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Now CBS has to show viewers stayed.
## Viewers drifted as it ran
The audience started at 9.4 million and fell to 6.7 million by the last 15 minutes. It's the first premiere since 2000 with under 9 million viewers.
## Key takeaway

A softer NFL lead-in hurt, but the steep drop among younger adults and the slide during the episode mean CBS still has to show its overhaul didn't drive viewers away.