CBS' "60 Minutes" marks its 50th season as the top TV news program
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"60 Minutes" wrapped its 50th consecutive season as the No. 1 television news program last weekend, according to new Nielsen figures.
Why it matters: The transition to streaming and digital news has been a ratings killer for many shows. But the CBS News staple remains a juggernaut (9 million viewers on one recent Sunday).
By the numbers: The weekly Sunday evening show, which debuted in 1968, has been the top news program across cable and broadcast in terms of average viewers per show, per season, for the past 50 years.
- Its winning streak hasn't been broken since the 1974-75 TV season.
- This past season, the program was television's top nonsports prime-time program 15 times.
- It has been TV's top overall prime-time program 14 times over the last three TV seasons.
The big picture: "60 Minutes" debuted in an era that had uniformity in news diets and a broad public trust in news. Now, trust in television news has collapsed to a historic low.
- "We have protected our legacy by being consistent over all these decades," the show's executive producer Bill Owens told Axios.
Between the lines: Other broadcast news programs have also continued to attract huge audiences, even as the linear television industry declines.
- ABC's "World News Tonight," which debuted in 1948, has consistently averaged more than 8 million viewers over the past few seasons as a daily program.
Zoom in: Part of the success of "60 Minutes" has been its ability to consistently land timely interviews with newsmakers.
- For example, the show capped the 2023-2024 broadcast season last Sunday with a rare sit-down interview with Pope Francis.
- "Our largest audiences usually tune in when there is a big event that they need to know more about," Owens said, citing the show's episode that explained the 2008 financial crash as it was unfolding as an example.
- "60 Minutes" landed Barack Obama's first interview after being elected president in 2008.
Zoom out: Despite a strong track record of success, the franchise has experienced challenges.
- CBS fired veteran producer Jeff Fager for sexual misconduct in 2018.
- The show had to issue a public apology over a discredited Benghazi report in 2013.
What's next: While the show's linear ratings remain strong, its digital platforms "are increasingly important to our brand," Owens said.
- The show's TikTok and Instagram follower counts both surpassed 1 million this past season.
- Doubling the show's YouTube consumption between 2022 and 2023 "is a huge win in an important demographic," Owens added.
What to watch: The show has also adapted its coverage to address new topics that are increasingly relevant to younger generations.
- "Artificial intelligence and climate change have both become beats, or regular coverage areas, for the program," Owens said.
