“Drew Barrymore Show” renewed through 2026
Upgrades in several key large markets as future of show was questioned last week
Affirming their commitment to Drew Barrymore’s talk show, CBS Media Ventures announced Thursday a sixth-year renewal through the end of the 2025-26 season, as the daytime talker was upgraded in several large markets. Since season three, the show split into two separate half-hours, with most stations airing them back-to-back.
“Over the last few seasons, stations have realized that The Drew Barrymore Show is like no other series in daytime, bringing Drew’s brand of positivity and ad-friendly content to viewers on a consistent basis,” said Wendy McMahon, president of CBS Media Ventures and CBS News And Stations, both part of corporate parent Paramount Global. “Many of these upgrades now pair Drew with a CBS Mornings lead-in, which has proven to be a powerful combination. This season, in markets where Drew airs at 9 a.m., its ratings are +21% higher among total viewers when CBS Mornings is the lead-in.”
CBS-owned stations who carry the show apparently got the message. Starting September 9 when it begins its fifth season, WCBS New York City will begin airing a full hour of Drew at 9 a.m and 9:30 a.m. Previously, WCBS carried a half-hour of local news followed by Drew as the CBS-owned station will now air the 9 a.m. newscast exclusively on its streaming channel CBS News New York. Starting Monday, KTVT Dallas-Fort Worth is also moving Drew to 9 a.m. for a full hour, replacing its newscast which moves to sister station KTXA at 7 a.m. Starting September 9, WBZ Boston is also airing Drew for a full hour.
Drew also gets upgraded afternoon time slots on CBS-owned stations in Philadelphia (KYW), San Francisco (KPIX), and Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (WFOR) at 3 p.m. Last month, NBC affiliate KPRC Houston upgraded Drew from overnights and moved her show to 10 a.m.
In Chicago, Drew airs for a full hour at 2 p.m. weekdays on CBS Chicago (CBS-owned WBBM-TV) as it has since September 2023, and in an earlier stint between September 2020 and August 2021. Drew also airs on independent WCIU at midnight for a full hour.
Last Friday, CBS announced it was adding a third hour of CBS Mornings, its 7-9 a.m. news show starting next month on a few CBS-owned stations and news streamer CBS News 24/7 (formerly CBSN and CBS News Streaming Channel), raising questions about the future of Drew’s show. But with today’s news, it’s likely the third hour would be made exclusive to CBS News 24/7 and any expansion of CBS Mornings on linear may be held off until 2026 or perhaps later. CBS Chicago currently airs a 9 a.m. local newscast.
Drew averages 1.1 million viewers daily, with local viewership up eight percent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. Its social media presence – especially on Facebook and Instagram, is up year-to-year in engagements. According to Nielsen, Drew averaged a 0.7 household rating and a 0.2 among its key audience of women 25-54 for the week ending July 14.