CBS News Content Is Averaging 17.6 Billion Viewing Minutes per Month Across Network and CBS News Digital Platforms

CBS News Ends 2021 Dominating Weekends with #1 Broadcasts and Weekday Broadcasts Delivering Competitive Growth in Key Audience Demographics and Tightest Margins Ever

CBS News’ 24/7 Digital Streaming Service, CBSN, Is Projected to Deliver More Than

One Billion Streams for 2021

CBS News closed out the year reaching more viewers than any other television news outlet in the fourth quarter of 2021. Additionally, CBS News’ broadcasts will end the year with several of the most-watched news programs anywhere on television, according to Nielsen most current ratings for the 2021 calendar year. 

60 MINUTES will end the year as the #1 news program of any kind; CBS SUNDAY MORNING is the #1 Sunday morning news program; FACE THE NATION WITH MARGARET BRENNAN is the #1 Sunday morning public affairs broadcast; and 48 HOURS is Saturday’s #1 non-sports primetime broadcast with viewers. Also, CBS MORNINGS ends the year with its tightest competitive gaps ever. The CBS EVENING NEWS WITH NORAH O’DONNELL will post the closest gap with NBC in 26 years. And CBS SATURDAY MORNING will end with the narrowest margin with NBC and ABC ever.

CBS News content across network and CBS News digital platforms are averaging 17.6 billion viewing minutes per month, according to Nielsen live plus 7-day data, ViacomCBS internal and partner data through November 2021.

CBS News’ streaming service, CBSN, is projected to deliver more than one billion streams for 2021.

Here’s a look at the ratings:

• 60 MINUTES will finish the year as the #1 news program on television and as a top 10 primetime broadcast in viewers. 60 MINUTES delivers 9.71 million viewers with 1.86 million of them in the key adults 25-54 demographic desired by advertisers. In the fourth quarter, 60 MINUTES was primetime’s top news broadcast, more than doubling the nearest competitor. The Nov. 14 broadcast delivered 13.28 million viewers, the best viewers 7-day delivery since Jan. 10. (Watch 60 MINUTES)

• CBS SUNDAY MORNING marks its 18^th consecutive year as the #1 Sunday morning news program (since 2003) across viewers and all key demographics. The broadcast is delivering 5.532 million viewers with 930,000 of them in adults 25-54. SUNDAY MORNING draws 50% of the 3-net total Sunday audience, its best in 19 years (since 2002). In the fourth quarter, CBS SUNDAY MORNING was #1 with viewers and adults 25-54, and has held the #1 spot in viewers every quarter since the third quarter of 2003 and on the demo since the first quarter of 2004. (Watch CBS SUNDAY MORNING)

• FACE THE NATION WITH MARGARET BRENNAN will hit its second consecutive year as the #1 public affairs broadcast. The broadcast is delivering 3.169 million viewers with 568,000 of them in the adults 25-54 demographic. FACE THE NATION will beat NBC by 204,000 viewers, the largest lead since 2015. FACE THE NATION has cut NBC’s lead in adults 25-54 by 48%. FACE THE NATION also has the smallest gap in six years with NBC in adults 25-54. In the fourth quarter, FACE THE NATION is ahead of ABC by 271,000 viewers and is beating NBC by 327,000 viewers – the largest lead over NBC for any quarter since the second quarter of 2015. (Watch FACE THE NATION)

• 48 HOURS will finish as Saturday’s #1 non-sports primetime broadcast with viewers for its 15^th consecutive year. The broadcast is delivering 3.49 million viewers with 783,000 of them in the adults 25-54 demographic. In the fourth quarter, 48 HOURS was also Saturday’s #1 non-sports primetime broadcast with viewers. The Dec. 4 broadcast (“What Happened to the Perfect Child?”) delivered the program’s best 7-day audience (4.16m) since May 16, 2020. (Watch 48 HOURS)

• CBS MORNINGS is delivering its tightest viewer gap with ABC ever and its narrowest gap margin with NBC since the 2017 calendar year. CBS MORNINGS is delivering its tightest gap among adults 25-54 and women 25-54 with NBC and ABC ever (since at least 1991). The broadcast has also grown one competitive share point in adults 25-54, while ABC has lost share. CBS MORNINGS is averaging 2.630 million viewers with 555,000 of them in the adults 25-54 demographic and 319,000 with women 25-54. CBS MORNINGS now accounts for 23% of three network women 25-54 audience, the highest share in 27 years (since 1994) while NBC and ABC lost share among women. And in the fourth quarter of 2021, CBS MORNINGS has posted its smallest margin in adults 25-54 with NBC and ABC ever for a fourth quarter and the tightest gap with women 25-54 with NBC and ABC for any quarter ever. (Watch CBS MORNINGS)

• The CBS EVENING NEWS WITH NORAH O’DONNELL ends the year with the tightest viewer gap with NBC since 2017 and the tightest gap with ABC since 2019. The broadcast is also delivering the tightest gap in adults 25-54 with NBC since 1995 (26 years) and the narrowest margin with ABC since 2019. Compared to the previous year, the CBS EVENING NEWS has gained one competitive share point in adults 25-54 as well as women and men 25-54, while NBC has lost share. The CBS EVENING NEWS is averaging 5.230 million viewers with 937,000 of them in the adults 25-54 demographic and 516,000 in women 25-54. In the fourth quarter, the CBS EVENING NEWS is delivering its narrowest gap in viewers with NBC in a fourth quarter since 2017. (Watch the CBS EVENING NEWS)

• CBS SATURDAY MORNING is delivering the largest gains in audience share among the competition and its best audience share in viewers (28%), adults 25-54 (25%) and women 25-54 (24%) ever. CBS SATURDAY MORNING is posting its tightest gaps ever with NBC and ABC in viewers, adults 25-54, women 25-54 and men 25-54. CBS SATURDAY MORNING is delivering 1.930 million viewers with 383,000 of them in the adults 25-54 demographic and 202,000 in women 25-54. In the fourth quarter, CBS SATURDAY MORNING was the only program to post audience increases compared to the previous year, while the competition is down. The broadcast also had the largest gains in audience share among the competition in key demos. (Watch CBS SATURDAY MORNING)

• CBS NEWS’ CUMULATIVE AUDIENCE in the fourth quarter was larger than any other television network. For the fourth quarter of 2021, CBS News reached 130 million viewers, more than the competition. Data based on Total Viewers, all titles, Live +7 thru 9/20-12/20/21. 75% unified audience, 1 minute qualifier.)

• CBS NEWS’ STREAMING SERVICE, CBSN, is projected to deliver more than one billion streams for 2021.

• CBSNEWS.COM continues to be the only site in the news competitive set that is up year-over-year and is #2 in unique visitors among broadcast competitors.

Follow CBS News on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and CBSNews.com. Stream on Paramount+.

* * *

Press Contact: