’60 Minutes’ suffers season debut ratings slump

Published September 15, 2026 5:40pm ET | Updated September 15, 2026 5:40pm ET




CBS News’s 60 Minutes suffered a sharp decline in ratings for its season premiere, with the first episode under new leadership drawing roughly 2 million fewer viewers than last year’s debut.

The CBS staple drew about 7.94 million viewers for its 59th season premiere Sunday, according to data released by the network. The audience was down more than 20% from the roughly 10 million viewers who tuned in for the previous season’s premiere.

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