’60 Minutes’ CECOT Report Tallies 5.1 Million Viewers on CBS News

The “60 Minutes” segment on El Salvador’s CECOT prison, which CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss drew severe criticism after pulling from the air, drew in over 5 million viewers as it aired on Jan. 18.

The report, which focused on the Trump administration’s deportation of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to the megaprison, brought in 5.1 million total viewers and 476,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo on CBS News, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day figures.

For comparison, the last original “60 Minutes” broadcast drew 8.34 million total viewers and 1.57 million demo viewers, though the Sunday broadcast competed against NBC’s airing of the NFL divisional playoff game, which delivered 40.1 million viewers.

The broadcast was up 4% in total viewers when compared to the last “60 Minutes Presents,” which the report is identified as, on Sunday, Dec. 28, which was similarly up against Fox’s NFL doubleheader and NBC’s NFL primetime game.

The segment, which promised to reveal “brutal and torturous conditions” inside the prison, was abruptly pulled from the air just two hours before it was set to debut in December, despite the network promoting the feature for days prior.

“The 60 Minutes report on ‘Inside CECOT’ will air in a future broadcast,” CBS told TheWrap in a statement at the time. “We determined it needed additional reporting.”

Following the decision, correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who had spoken to now released deportees from the prison for the segment, said in a leaked internal memo to colleagues saying that pulling the segment was “not an editorial decision” and rather a “political one.”

The move sparked immediate backlash for Weiss, who was behind shelving the segment and requested additional reporting on the segment, including an on-the-record comment from the Trump administration. Nearly a month later, the segment aired as part of “60 Minutes Presents.”

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