The Oct. 17 edition of 60 Minutes averaged more than 11 million total viewers, making it the most-watched primetime show (excluding sports), and the fourth-most-watched show across all dayparts for the week.
The 11.02 million total also represents the newsmagazine’s largest audience since Jan. 10, 2021.
Compared to last week, 60 Minutes improved by +69% in adults 25-54 and added more than 2.55 million total viewers. In addition to the week-to-week growth, the broadcast also grew by +57% in adults 25-54 and added +1.9 million viewers from the comparable Sunday in 2020.
One should also take into account that 60 Minutes had a juicy Cowboys vs. Patriots matchup as its national lead-in on CBS. That certainly gave a boost to the newsmagazine’s ratings.
Anyways, the Oct. 17 broadcast of 60 Minutes featured Anderson Cooper’s interview with former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a Bill Whitaker report on the longest running American cattle drive still in existence, and Jon Wertheim’s post-pandemic look at the state of the English pub.
Below, a clip from Cooper’s sit-down with Gates:
Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates tells Anderson Cooper he felt sick watching the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. He says both President Trump and President Biden share responsibility for the withdrawal. https://t.co/Wd1Sp6kDBK pic.twitter.com/u0d1wn2Lcl
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 18, 2021