The Season 58 premiere of CBS’ “60 Minutes” drew in 10.03 million viewers, a slight decrease from its last season premiere as the show entered a new era under Paramount’s new owner, David Ellison.
Sunday’s “60 Minutes” was the No. 1 non-sports program in primetime, and it was a 5% increase from the same night last year (Sept. 29, 2024), which had 9.57 million viewers. It was also up from the same night last year by 19% in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic and 6% in the 18-49 demographic.
The newsmagazine’s last season ended with 8.32 million viewers, two million less than its season premiere (10.5 million viewers), though enough to maintain its status that week as the No. 1 Sunday program that week.
The season is the first under executive producer Tanya Simon, who took the reins of the beleaguered broadcast this summer after longtime producer Bill Owens resigned over a lack of independence as Paramount sought to settle President Donald Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit over an interview the program aired with Kamala Harris. The company eventually settled with Trump for $16 million back in July, and the Federal Communications Commission cleared its merger with Ellison’s Skydance weeks later.
Even in its premiere, the show has already had to navigate political waters both nationwide and at its corporate home. The season premiere featured a sit-down interview with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, with the governor urging people to “stop hating our fellow Americans.” But it also contained a profile of UFC CEO Dana White — just after Paramount and the UFC announced a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal for the rights to its sporting events.
“We’ve been speaking with White for years about his appearing on this broadcast,” correspondent Jon Wertheim said during the broadcast. “This was before Paramount Skydance, parent company of CBS, recently paid almost $8 billion for the UFC’s media rights.”
