Add The New York Post on Google “60 Minutes” stumbled out of the gate with its lowest-rated season premiere of the 21st century, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings.
The long-running program drew about 7.7 million viewers for its season opener, marking its smallest premiere audience in records dating back to at least 2000, according to the preliminary data.
The weak opening comes at the start of the first full season under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
Year over year, the premiere was down 19% among total viewers and 33% in the key 25-to-54 demographic, the early Nielsen figures showed.
Last year’s premiere drew roughly 9.5 million viewers, according to the data, compared with about 7.7 million for this year’s opener.
The drop was particularly notable given the massive audience that preceded the broadcast.
An NFL game leading into “60 Minutes” drew 18.4 million viewers, meaning the news program’s preliminary audience was more than 10 million smaller than its lead-in.
The ratings remain preliminary, however. The figures are based on Nielsen panel data, with final numbers expected after 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Those final ratings could revise the audience totals for the premiere.
