Former ‘60 Minutes’ Staff Reunite and Shop New Investigative News Deal Outside Ellison Controlled CBS

The Old ‘60 Minutes’ Crew May Be Plotting a Comeback Outside CBS

The battle over the future of “60 Minutes” may no longer be confined to CBS. Former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens is reportedly exploring an ambitious plan to reunite former correspondents, producers and senior staff who have left or been pushed out of the legendary news magazine, potentially creating a new investigative program that would compete directly for the same audience CBS has spent nearly six decades building.

According to reporting by the New York Post citing people familiar with the discussions, Owens has explored raising approximately $50 million to finance two years of deeply reported investigative and documentary style journalism. Among the biggest names reportedly connected to the concept is former “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley, who was fired by CBS in June following an extraordinary public confrontation with the program’s new leadership.

The proposal remains far from a finished deal. No streaming service, television network or digital distribution platform has publicly announced that it has signed the project, and the Post reported that a source close to Owens denied the plans. Still, the discussions come at a remarkable moment for American television news, as a collection of veteran journalists who helped define one of the country’s most prestigious investigative programs suddenly finds itself outside the institution they helped build.

Bill Owens Left CBS Warning That He Was Losing Editorial Independence

The roots of the potential breakaway operation stretch back more than a year. Owens resigned as executive producer of “60 Minutes” in April 2025 after nearly four decades at CBS News, saying he no longer believed he was being allowed to make independent editorial decisions in the way he had previously run the program.

His departure came while CBS parent Paramount Global was under intense pressure surrounding President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with then Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. Trump alleged that CBS deceptively edited Harris’ response to a question involving the war in Gaza. CBS denied that the editing was deceptive and released transcripts and footage from the interview while defending the program’s journalistic practices.

At the same time, Paramount was attempting to complete its merger with Skydance Media, creating an unusual convergence of corporate, regulatory and political pressure surrounding one of America’s most influential news organizations. Owens ultimately walked away, telling staff that it had become clear he would no longer be able to run “60 Minutes” as he believed was right for the program and its audience. That warning would prove to be only the beginning of the upheaval.

Skydance Took Over Paramount and CBS News Entered a New Era

David Ellison’s Skydance subsequently completed its merger with Paramount, placing CBS and CBS News under a new corporate structure. Months later, Paramount Skydance acquired Bari Weiss’ digital publication, The Free Press, and installed Weiss as editor in chief of CBS News. The appointment represented a dramatic philosophical and cultural change for the network. Weiss had built her reputation largely through opinion writing, digital publishing and criticism of traditional media institutions rather than through decades inside broadcast television news.

Paramount leadership described the move as part of an effort to modernize CBS News, rebuild trust and adapt the organization to an increasingly fragmented media environment. Critics inside and outside CBS questioned whether the transformation was being driven by legitimate modernization or by political and ideological pressures surrounding the network. Those tensions eventually reached “60 Minutes,” one of the most valuable and symbolically important assets inside CBS News.

Nick Bilton Was Brought In to Reinvent ‘60 Minutes’

In May 2026, CBS News appointed journalist, author and documentary filmmaker Nick Bilton as executive producer of “60 Minutes,” replacing Tanya Simon, a veteran of the program who had spent roughly three decades at CBS. Bilton arrived from outside traditional television news leadership. His background included technology reporting for The New York Times, investigative work for Vanity Fair, books and documentary filmmaking. CBS described his appointment as part of a broader effort to expand “60 Minutes” beyond its traditional Sunday night broadcast and turn it into a larger multiplatform news brand.

The move was significant because Bilton became only the fifth executive producer in the program’s history while taking control of a newsroom already dealing with extraordinary internal tension. CBS leadership publicly framed Bilton as an entrepreneurial journalist capable of translating the “60 Minutes” tradition into the modern media ecosystem, while some veteran employees reportedly questioned whether someone without extensive experience running a major weekly broadcast could successfully manage one of television journalism’s most complex operations. The disagreement quickly became much more than an abstract debate about management philosophy.

Scott Pelley Went to War With the New Leadership and Was Fired

Scott Pelley, one of the most recognizable journalists associated with “60 Minutes,” openly confronted the direction of the program during a contentious staff meeting shortly after Bilton took control. Pelley criticized Bilton’s qualifications and accused CBS News leadership of destroying the institution that generations of correspondents and producers had built. The confrontation became extraordinary even by the standards of a newsroom undergoing a management revolt.

CBS fired Pelley shortly afterward. Bilton said in his termination letter that Pelley’s hostility toward the future of the program had become impossible to reconcile with continued employment. Pelley countered that CBS staff members had been resisting political interference and argued publicly that the network’s new owners were abandoning the principles that made “60 Minutes” important. The firing transformed what had been a management dispute into a public battle over the identity of the program. For a journalist with Pelley’s profile, it also created something the television industry rarely sees: an internationally recognized “60 Minutes” correspondent suddenly available to build something completely outside CBS.

A Large Group of Veteran ‘60 Minutes’ Talent Is Now Outside the Building

Pelley was hardly alone. The broader shakeup surrounding “60 Minutes” has included the exits of several significant journalists and producers associated with the program, creating a potentially formidable pool of experienced investigative talent. Former correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, former executive producer Tanya Simon and multiple senior producers have all been mentioned in reporting surrounding departures from the program and the possibility of a new venture. That matters because “60 Minutes” has always been far more than the correspondents viewers see on television. Its reputation was built through teams of producers, researchers, editors, camera crews and investigative journalists capable of spending months developing stories before a segment ever reached air.

Reassembling even a portion of that infrastructure could give a new organization something most media startups cannot easily buy: decades of institutional experience producing premium investigative television. The potential venture would therefore not simply amount to Pelley hosting another television show. It could become an attempt to recreate the underlying reporting machine that made “60 Minutes” powerful in the first place.

The Reported Price Tag Is Around $50 Million

According to the New York Post, Owens has been associated with efforts to raise approximately $50 million to finance roughly two years of operations. That money would reportedly have to cover journalists, producers, camera crews, travel, legal review, post-production, insurance, marketing and distribution, all of the expensive infrastructure required to produce serious investigative television. Those costs are precisely why creating a true “60 Minutes” competitor is vastly more difficult than launching a podcast or YouTube channel. A correspondent sitting across from a political figure in a studio is relatively inexpensive. Sending an investigative team across several countries for months, obtaining records, verifying allegations, hiring attorneys to review potentially explosive reporting and producing cinematic documentary footage is not. The proposed $50 million therefore sounds enormous until it is compared with what high end investigative journalism actually costs.

The Biggest Question Is Where the Show Would Live

Even if Owens can assemble the journalists and raise the money, the venture still needs distribution. The reported concept appears to be designed primarily for streaming and digital audiences rather than as a traditional network television program. Netflix has emerged in industry speculation as an obvious possible destination, although there is no confirmed deal between Netflix and the Owens group.

Apple, YouTube and major television companies could theoretically provide other distribution routes, but there is no evidence that any of them has committed to carrying the program. That uncertainty may be the project’s greatest obstacle. Streaming companies have spent heavily on documentaries, sports and entertainment programming, but most remain cautious about building expensive recurring news operations. Investigative journalism can be legally risky, internationally complex and expensive while producing far less predictable audience numbers than scripted entertainment or major sporting events. A “60 Minutes” style program would therefore have to convince a platform that prestige, influence and audience loyalty justify the cost.

Scott Galloway Has Publicly Argued Netflix Should Make the Move

The idea of turning the CBS upheaval into a new streaming news franchise has already attracted support from prominent media voices. NYU professor, entrepreneur and “Pivot” podcast co-host Scott Galloway has publicly argued that Netflix should recruit major former “60 Minutes” talent and essentially create its own version of the program. His suggested concept, which he dubbed “The Hour,” would involve paying established correspondents heavily and giving them the resources and editorial freedom to build a premium investigative operation.

Galloway’s argument highlights the opportunity sitting beneath the CBS turmoil. Streaming companies have spent billions trying to create cultural franchises, yet one of television journalism’s most experienced pools of talent may now be available at the same time that younger audiences increasingly consume news outside traditional broadcast networks. Whether that opportunity is worth tens of millions of dollars is another question.

The Economics of Independent Investigative Journalism Are Brutal

A digital first launch without a major streaming partner would present even greater challenges. YouTube advertising alone is unlikely to finance a large international investigative newsroom. Subscription revenue could help, as could sponsorships, licensing arrangements and partnerships, but developing enough recurring revenue to support dozens of experienced journalists would require an enormous audience.

That is where the proposed project would have an unusual advantage over most startups: name recognition. Pelley, Alfonsi, Vega, Owens and other former “60 Minutes” figures already carry decades of collective credibility and audience familiarity. A startup centered around established investigative journalists could potentially attract attention immediately rather than spending years establishing a brand. But attention and sustainable economics are two different things. Even historically important news organizations have struggled to make expensive investigative journalism work financially in the digital era.

CBS Is Trying to Rebuild ‘60 Minutes’ at the Same Time

While former staffers reportedly explore their options, CBS is attempting to rebuild the program they left behind. Bilton’s mandate is broader than simply producing the traditional Sunday broadcast. CBS has said it wants “60 Minutes” to expand across platforms and reach audiences wherever they consume journalism rather than remain confined to one weekly television hour.

The network has also been bringing new journalists and contributors into the franchise. That sets up the possibility of an extraordinary competition: the corporate institution that owns the “60 Minutes” name versus some of the journalists who helped create the modern version of what that name represents. CBS controls the brand, the broadcast slot, the archive and one of television’s most recognizable trademarks. The former staff controls something different: accumulated experience, relationships, reputations and the ability to argue that the journalism matters more than the logo.

This Could Become a Test of Whether the Institution or the Journalists Matter More

That is what makes the potential Owens project more significant than another streaming pitch. For decades, journalists largely needed institutions like CBS to finance and distribute investigative television. The economics of broadcast news made recreating something like “60 Minutes” independently nearly impossible. That barrier has weakened.

A streaming service can now distribute a documentary simultaneously to hundreds of millions of potential viewers around the world. YouTube can deliver investigative reporting without a television network. Subscription platforms can create direct relationships between journalists and audiences. The cost of serious reporting remains enormous, but the monopoly that traditional networks once held over distribution has disappeared.

If Owens and the former “60 Minutes” team actually secure financing, the project could test one of the biggest questions facing modern journalism: whether audiences remain loyal to legacy institutions or whether trusted journalists can take their reputations elsewhere and bring those audiences with them.

But There Is Still No Rival ‘60 Minutes’ Yet

The excitement surrounding the story should not get ahead of the evidence. The reported venture has not been formally announced. There is no publicly confirmed $50 million financing round, no announced streaming partner, no official roster of correspondents and no launch date. The New York Post reported that former staffers had worked on a business plan and pitch deck and were exploring a deeply reported documentary-style program. The newspaper also reported that a source close to Owens denied the plans, while Owens himself declined to comment. For now, this is a serious reported effort rather than a finished media company.

But the circumstances making such a project possible are very real. Bill Owens left “60 Minutes” warning that his editorial independence had been compromised. CBS later underwent new ownership and a sweeping leadership transformation. Tanya Simon was replaced. Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega departed. Scott Pelley confronted the new management and was fired. Nick Bilton is now attempting to rebuild and expand the original program while several of the journalists who helped make it famous are available outside CBS.

If Owens can put the money and distribution together, CBS may eventually face something almost unimaginable a few years ago: a rival investigative newsmagazine staffed by the people who used to make “60 Minutes.” If that happens, the fight over the future of America’s most famous television newsmagazine will no longer be an internal newsroom battle. It will become a competition.

Sources

• New York Post — Ex-‘60 Minutes’ Boss Bill Owens Wants to Launch Rival News Show With Scott Pelley and Former Staffers — Original reporting on the proposed venture, reported $50 million funding target, potential former “60 Minutes” participants and search for a streaming or digital platform.
• CBS News — Bill Owens Departs ‘60 Minutes’ Over Editorial Independence Concerns — CBS coverage of Owens’ April 2025 resignation after he said he was no longer able to run the program as he had previously.
• Reuters — Bill Owens Steps Down From ‘60 Minutes’ Amid Editorial Concerns — Independent reporting on Owens’ departure and the pressure surrounding CBS during President Trump’s lawsuit against the network.
• CBS News — Scott Pelley Fired From ‘60 Minutes’ Following Clash With Nick Bilton — CBS reporting on Pelley’s June 2026 termination following his confrontation with the program’s new executive producer.
• Reuters — CBS News Fires Scott Pelley From ‘60 Minutes’ — Independent reporting confirming Pelley’s termination and the broader series of departures from the program.
• CBS News — Nick Bilton Named Executive Producer of ‘60 Minutes’ — Official coverage of Bilton replacing Tanya Simon and becoming only the fifth executive producer in the program’s history.
• Axios — New ‘60 Minutes’ Boss Nick Bilton Plans to Expand the Show Across Platforms — Details Bilton’s strategy to expand the franchise beyond its traditional Sunday-night broadcast.
• Paramount — Bari Weiss Named CBS News Editor-in-Chief as Paramount Acquires The Free Press — Paramount’s official announcement detailing the acquisition and Weiss’ appointment to lead CBS News editorially.
• Associated Press — CBS News Shakes Up ‘60 Minutes’ and Replaces Tanya Simon With Nick Bilton — Independent coverage of the leadership overhaul and CBS’ stated push for a new approach to the historic newsmagazine.
• Washington Post — Scott Pelley Fired After Confrontation With New ‘60 Minutes’ Leadership — Additional reporting on Pelley’s confrontation, firing and allegations of political interference at CBS News.