'60 Minutes' Ratings See Slight Increase for Season's Second Episode
The Patrick Clancy interview contributed to a modest uptick in viewership compared to the previous year, though numbers remain down from the season premiere.
CBS News’ “60 Minutes” drew more than 6.5 million viewers for its second episode of the season on Sunday, a slight increase from the comparable episode last year. Preliminary Nielsen ratings indicate that the episode attracted 6.5 million viewers, surpassing last year's 6.454 million. In the key 25-to-54 demographic, Sunday's broadcast garnered 1.1 million viewers, a roughly 20% increase from the 917,000 viewers in that demographic who watched the second episode of the previous season.
Despite the year-over-year improvement for the second episode, viewership was down from the season premiere on September 13, which attracted 7.935 million total viewers. The 25-to-54 demographic for the premiere was 1.4 million. The season debut itself represented a year-over-year decline, with 10.026 million viewers tuning in the year prior.
Unlike the season premiere, which benefited from a lead-in of an NFL game that drew 18.4 million viewers, Sunday's broadcast did not have a similar strong lead-in. The heavily promoted interview with Patrick Clancy, which was featured in Sunday's episode, saw viewership drop to 6.3 million total viewers and 956,000 adults 25 to 54 in its final quarter-hour, according to preliminary Nielsen data. Competitively, Fox's "Best Medicine" and CBS's "Big Brother" drew larger audiences in the 25-to-54 demographic on Sunday night.
Preliminary data suggests that "60 Minutes" retained a larger portion of its premiere audience this season compared to last. This season's second episode saw an approximate 15% decline from the premiere, indicating a retention of about 85% of the opening week's audience. In contrast, last season's second episode experienced a decline of about 33% from its premiere, retaining roughly two-thirds of its viewers. A common factor cited for such week-to-week declines is the shift in lead-in programming, with the premiere benefiting from a double-header NFL game while the second episode follows a single-header game that can vary regionally. Final Nielsen ratings for the episode are expected on Tuesday. CBS News has not yet released a statement regarding the ratings.