The CBS News program 60 Minutes began its 59th season with its lowest-rated premiere in at least 25 years, according to Nielsen data reported by The New York Times. The season opener was viewed by around 7.9 million people, a significant drop from the approximately 10 million who watched last year’s premiere. Among adults aged 25-54, a key group for advertisers, viewership fell by 33 percent, according to early Nielsen ratings cited by Mediaite. This marks the show’s smallest audience for a season premiere since at least the year 2000. The decline follows a period of significant change at 60 Minutes and CBS News as a whole. This came after billionaire David Ellison, who owns Paramount — the parent company of CBS News — acquired the network. In October, he appointed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief, a decision that led to the departure of several veteran journalists and staff. Weiss has faced criticism for allegedly influencing coverage in ways that favor the Trump administration and Israel, claims she has denied. “What’s being called ‘editorial interference’ is in reality the job description of an editor in chief,” Weiss told The Wall Street Journal in June. Longtime correspondent Scott Pelley was fired in June after reportedly accusing Weiss of “murdering” the program. Earlier that year, correspondent Sharon Alfonsi was let go after a public disagreement with Weiss over the removal of a report on a brutal prison in Latin America. Anderson Cooper also left the show in May, citing the need for editorial “independence” in his final remarks. In response to these departures, CBS News announced new hires for the upcoming season, including Ross Douthat, a conservative New York Times opinion writer, and Norah O’Donnell, a senior CBS News correspondent. Before the season premiere, Weiss was given considerable creative freedom to promote the show’s new direction, according to Puck News. The network planned a broad campaign to highlight the program’s updated look and its 60-year history. However, The New York Times noted that television ratings can be influenced by many factors, such as competing programming. 60 Minutes typically airs after NFL games, and this Sunday, both CBS and Fox had games on their schedules. Last year, CBS had exclusive rights to the NFL games, which may have contributed to higher viewership. Despite the drop, 60 Minutes remains the most-watched news program on television.