60 Minutes Hits Season High With 10.2 Million Viewers

60 Minutes drew 10.2 million viewers on Sunday, 4 October, its largest audience of the new season.

That total passed the programme's last-season average of about 9.1 million for the first time this autumn, Variety reported, citing Nielsen figures. It also edged the year-earlier broadcast by about 50,000 viewers. That is a narrow win. It still counts.

The boost came with a very large lead-in, meaning the programme that aired directly before it. CBS's telecast of the Kansas City Chiefs against the Las Vegas Raiders delivered 28.4 million viewers. CBS said it was the most-watched NFL game of the season so far and the best fourth-week NFL telecast on any network.

That football game ran late. The overrun pushed 60 Minutes further into direct competition with NBC's Sunday Night Football, which usually splits the Sunday night audience.

In the 25-to-54 age group, the demographic most watched by advertisers, 60 Minutes drew about 2 million viewers. That compares with a last-season average of about 1.45 million in the same group. The Wrap reported the 10.2 million total was up 1% on last year's Week 3 episode, with Nielsen measuring through big data plus panel ratings, which combine data from devices with a surveyed viewer panel.

What makes this stand out is the rebound. The season premiere was down 21% on last year's opener, which averaged 10.03 million viewers. The second episode drew nearly 6.8 million viewers in preliminary Nielsen data.

Sunday's edition featured three segments. One followed friars at Italy's Basilica of Saint Francis using lasers, high-tech cameras and other advanced tools to repair the building. Another looked at how artificial intelligence may affect the US labour market. The third was an interview with Republican Senator Thom Tillis.

The strong Sunday also lifted CBS Evening News. Viewership last week was up 18% on the year-earlier period to 4.2 million viewers. In the 25-to-54 demographic, it was up 46% to 585,000.