'60 Minutes' Sees Viewership Drop Without NFL Games

What was the fuss about? An episode of '60 Minutes' averaged 6.06 million viewers, sparking a fierce debate between veteran correspondent Lesley Stahl and CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss over the content of Stahl's segment focusing on […]

The telecast also saw a decline among 25- to 54-year-olds, a demographic most favored by newscast advertisers. Sunday's episode averaged 767,000, compared to 946,000 last year and 2.02 million last week. According to Nielsen data, ratings for the pilot were down nearly 19 percent from last season and 62 percent from last week's telecast.

CBS News remains under intense pressure to show stability in the program, which was tumultuously reviewed at the end of last season, despite a dramatic 9 percent increase in viewers. Weiss ditched Tanya Simon, an executive producer with years of experience on the show, in favor of Nick Bilton, a journalist and screenwriter with less formal television experience. Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi were also fired as reporters. Anderson Cooper left of his own accord after his contract expired. Their replacements, which include Ross Dutt and contributors Ariel Levy and Sebastian Junger, have high-profile backgrounds but little experience working on a weekly TV show that emphasizes long-form organizational journalism.

CBS can take solace in the fact that Sunday's "60 Minutes" telecast drew viewers across the board, according to Nielsen data.

In addition to Stahl's report from the West Bank, Sunday's episode also featured Norah O'Donnell's interview with Sean Curran and Matt Quinn, director and US director.