Honestly, if you’ve been watching the news lately, you know CBS is having a bit of a moment. And not the good kind. The network that was once the "Tiffany Network"—all polished and untouchable—is suddenly looking a lot more like a fixer-upper.
The big story everyone is whispering about is how CBS loses 6 major advertisers in the wake of some massive internal shifts. It’s not just one thing. It’s a messy cocktail of a billionaire takeover, the spiking of a controversial 60 Minutes segment, and a nosedive in ratings for the CBS Evening News.
If you're wondering why your favorite brands are suddenly missing from the commercial breaks, you aren't alone.
The Bari Weiss Effect and the "Blood in the Water"
Everything changed in October 2025. That’s when the billionaire David Ellison, having bought Paramount, installed Bari Weiss as the editor-in-chief of CBS News. It was a polarizing move from day one. Weiss, known for her "anti-woke" stance and the Free Press, didn't come from a TV background.
The friction started almost immediately.
Then came the town hall in December 2025. Weiss hosted Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. It was supposed to be a big statement. Instead? It was a ghost town for big brands. Reports surfaced that the event failed to attract major advertisers and performed poorly with viewers.
This was the first real sign that the traditional "Big Six" style advertisers—the CPG giants and the blue-chip corporations—were getting twitchy. They don't like controversy. They like stability. And right now, CBS is anything but stable.
The 60 Minutes "Kill Switch" Scandal
If there was a single breaking point, it was the December 21 episode of 60 Minutes.
Veteran correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi had a segment ready to go. It was a deep dive into the CECOT prison in El Salvador and the Trump administration's deportation policies. Two hours before airtime, it was yanked.
Weiss claimed it wasn't "ready" because it lacked a response from the administration. Alfonsi shot back in a leaked memo, saying the administration's silence was being used as a "kill switch." Inside the building, journalists are calling it "clumsy editorial interference."
Outside the building, the market reacted.
When a flagship program like 60 Minutes—which is basically the profit engine of the news division—starts losing its aura of independence, advertisers start looking for the exit. We’ve seen a pattern of brands shifting their budgets away from these "high-risk" news slots and moving them into safer, more predictable digital spaces or sports.
Ratings are Plummeting (And Advertisers Follow the Eyeballs)
Let's look at the cold, hard numbers. They're pretty brutal.
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The CBS Evening News recently swapped Norah O’Donnell for Tony Dokoupil. In the first week of January 2026, the show lost over a million viewers compared to the same time last year. That is a 25% drop in a single year.
For advertisers, the "demo" (viewers aged 25 to 54) is everything. That demographic also fell by nearly a quarter. Basically, the people with money to spend are turning the channel.
Why the "Big 6" are Actually Leaving
While people love a good political drama, the reason CBS loses 6 major advertisers usually comes down to three very boring things:
- Brand Safety: Companies like Procter & Gamble or Johnson & Johnson don't want their soap commercials running next to segments that are being called "state TV" or "transphobic dog whistles" by critics.
- The Colbert Factor: CBS is ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May 2026. This was a "purely financial decision." When you cut your biggest late-night star, you lose the advertisers that were specifically buying that time slot.
- The Shift to Digital: Let's be real—TV is struggling anyway. Advertisers are moving to "addressable ads" and CTV (Connected TV). If CBS is seen as a sinking ship or a PR nightmare, it makes the decision to move those millions to YouTube or Netflix that much easier.
It’s not just that they’re leaving CBS; they’re leaving the drama.
What This Means for the Future of the Network
Is CBS dead? No. They still have the NFL. They still have NCIS spin-offs and Ghosts. They’re even trying a new Blue Bloods spin-off called Boston Blue to keep the older audience happy.
But the news division is in a legitimate crisis. When you lose the trust of your own newsroom—with veterans like Scott Pelley and Bill Owens publicly or privately rebuking the corporate direction—the quality of the product suffers.
And when the product suffers, the ads disappear.
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Actionable Insights for the Savvy Viewer or Investor
If you're watching this unfold and wondering what to do with this information, here's the deal:
- Watch the "Upfronts": Keep an eye on the spring advertising presentations. If CBS can't land big multi-year deals with the major automakers and pharma companies, they’ll have to rely on "per-inquiry" ads (those cheap local lawyer and insurance commercials).
- Monitor the Streaming Shift: Paramount+ is where they are trying to hide the decline. If you see more big-budget "events" moving there, it's a sign they've given up on the broadcast network's ad revenue.
- Follow the Talent: If more 60 Minutes producers start resigning, that’s your signal that the internal culture is broken beyond immediate repair.
The situation with how CBS loses 6 major advertisers isn't just a headline—it's a case study in what happens when a legacy media brand tries to pivot too fast in a polarized world. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s costing them millions.
Keep an eye on the credits of your favorite shows. The names you don't see in the "sponsored by" section tell the real story.