A busy news week dominated by the war between Israel, and the Islamist militant group Hamas has kept CBS News’ newsmagazine show 60 Minutes as the No. 1 non-sports primetime program for the fifth straight week.
60 Minutes delivered 7.3 million total viewers, according to Nielsen live plus same-day ratings for Sunday, Oct. 15. The news show, which was heavy on the conflict in the Middle East, featured Scott Pelley‘s interview with President Joe Biden on Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine, along with Lesley Stahl‘s report from Israel on a family’s rescue effort at kibbutz Nahal Oz, one of the first places infiltrated by Hamas.
The other story featured was Sharyn Alfonsi‘s story on the 50 migrants who arrived in the United States through Texas in 2022 and were transported to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida officials.
Overall, 60 Minutes was the No. 6 primetime broadcast for the week, and considering it was a non-doubleheader week on CBS Sports shows the newsmagazine does not need the pull of the NFL to remain on top.
However, CBS will use the doubleheader weeks to air expanded editions of 60 Minutes, allowing for the airing of an additional story that’s twice the length of a typical story segment during the broadcast.