TV Ratings: ‘CBS Evening News’ Rises in Week 2, ’60 Minutes’ Drops Significantly
The second week of Tony Dokoupil’s tenure as anchor of CBS Evening News saw a slight increase in viewership. However, the iconic program ’60 Minutes’ experienced a significant drop in ratings during the same period.
Ratings Overview for CBS Evening News
For the week ending January 12, CBS Evening News averaged 4.19 million viewers, up from 4.17 million the previous week. The program also recorded 584,000 viewers in the key adult demographic of 25-54 years old, an increase from 533,000 the prior week. This represents a positive trend compared to the show’s season average of 4.02 million total viewers and 498,500 in the critical age group.
Despite these gains, CBS continues to trail ABC and NBC significantly in the evening news rankings. The numbers for the competing programs for the same week were:
- ABC’s World News Tonight: 8.16 million viewers; 1.04 million adults 25-54
- NBC Nightly News: 6.68 million viewers; 964,000 adults 25-54
Comparative Year-on-Year Performance
Dokoupil’s early weeks as anchor have not met previous year performance levels. In the same timeframe last year, CBS Evening News drew an average of 5.13 million viewers and 729,000 in the 25-54 demographic.
Highlight on Monday Night’s Ratings
The week began strongly for CBS Evening News, with Monday night reaching a peak of 6.38 million viewers. This marked the best performance for the show since 2021. In contrast, ABC’s World News Tonight attracted 10.88 million viewers, its highest since April 2020. NBC Nightly News was not aired on that Monday due to an NBA game, which may have influenced viewer distribution across networks.
Challenges for ’60 Minutes’
The January 18 episode of ’60 Minutes’ faced substantial viewership challenges. It focused on “Inside CECOT,” reported by Sharyn Alfonsi, which covered conditions in a Salvadoran prison used for deportees. Originally slated for December airing, it was postponed for additional reporting.
Unfortunately, this episode aired opposite a highly rated NFL playoff game on NBC, resulting in only about 5.1 million viewers—significantly below its season average of 9.41 million. CBS opted to label this episode as ’60 Minutes Presents,’ typically reserved for repeat broadcasts, which may affect its standing in Nielsen ratings.
Conclusion
As CBS Evening News adjusts to new leadership, it remains to be seen how these trends will continue. For now, Dokoupil’s early tenure reflects a modest improvement in ratings, while ’60 Minutes’ faces considerable hurdles amid competitive programming.
