CBS News’ struggle for relevance in the television landscape reached a new low on Tuesday night, as the network’s midterm election coverage drew the smallest audience among all major broadcast and cable news competitors.
As Americans turned to their screens in record numbers to track unfolding election returns, Nielsen data indicated that CBS failed to capture the public’s attention. According to figures shared by Variety’s senior TV editor Brian Steinberg, CBS News managed only 2.6 million viewers during primetime. This performance left the network trailing far behind broadcast rivals NBC and ABC, and even falling short of the major cable news outlets—CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC—which averaged roughly 3.9 million viewers each.
The abysmal showing underscores a deepening crisis at the network following its recent corporate overhaul. Since David Ellison assumed control of Paramount and appointed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News, the organization has been plagued by plummeting ratings and internal turbulence. Industry analysts point to the latest election night results as a stark indicator of just how far the network has fallen from its position as a powerhouse of broadcast journalism.
While CBS faltered, other networks thrived by leaning into familiar formats. NBC News claimed the top spot with 6.52 million viewers, buoyed by the runaway success of chief data analyst Steve Kornacki. The network reported a record 29 million views across social media platforms, with Kornacki’s interactive “Kornacki Cam” coverage drawing twice the live audience of his competitors. ABC followed with 4.91 million viewers.
The lackluster election coverage is the latest chapter in a long string of ratings failures for the network, particularly under the leadership of anchor Tony Dokoupil. His transition to the flagship CBS Evening News has been met with skepticism, with internal dissent surfacing as some staffers have criticized the program’s editorial shift, even describing it in scathing terms as “state TV.”
Weiss’s tenure has been similarly fraught. Since taking the reins, she has faced significant backlash for high-profile editorial decisions, including the temporary suppression of a 60 Minutes segment regarding Venezuelan migrants in El Salvadoran prisons. The controversy accompanied a broader staff shakeup in May, dubbed “Black Thursday,” which saw the departure of veteran executive producers and long-time correspondents.
Reports from inside the network describe a demoralized newsroom, with insiders characterizing the leadership style of Weiss as dismissive. One staffer recently told Page Six that the newsroom leadership operates in a vacuum, ignoring input from experienced personnel. As CBS News continues to hemorrhage viewers, the pressure on Ellison and his chosen leadership team to stabilize the network’s reputation and ratings is intensifying, with little sign of a turnaround on the horizon.
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