FOX BUSINESS NETWORK SCORES FOURTH CONSECUTIVE QUARTERLY WIN OVER CNBC AS THE LEADER IN BUSINESS NEWS
CNBC Delivers 20+ Year Lows Across Business Day
FBN Delivers the Top Five Rated Business Programs in Third Quarter
FOX Business Network (FBN) ended the third quarter as the number one rated business network on television, marking the first time ever the network has outpaced rival CNBC in Business Day viewers for four consecutive quarters. In addition, FBN had the top five rated business programs for the quarter, while CNBC delivered 22 year lows in Business Day viewers and record lows in the 25-54 demo.
Averaging 187,000 total viewers, FBN saw its Business Day audience grow 26 percent over last year. Led by strong performances from anchors Stuart Varney, Neil Cavuto, Trish Regan, and Liz Claman, FBN’s Business Day came out 23 percent ahead of CNBC’s quarterly performance, which delivered 152,000 total viewers on average.
FBN’s pre and post-market coverage also showed strong growth for the quarter. Lou Dobbs’ eponymous program Lou Dobbs Tonight continues to be the number one rated news program on business television in both total viewers and the demo. The program has been the leader in total viewers for the past six straight quarters and just marked 57 continuous weeks atop the 7PM/ET timeslot rankings. Maria Bartiromo’s Mornings with Maria (6-9AM/ET) saw viewership grow 10 percent over last year while Making Money with Charles Payne (6PM/ET) and Risk & Reward (5PM/ET) also topped their nightly competition in total viewers. Additionally, Wall Street Week (Fridays at 8PM/ET), anchored by Bartiromo, saw a 16 percent increase and Kennedy, hosted by Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery (Monday-Thursday at 8PM/ET) grew 23 percent in total viewers this quarter.
While FBN has been experiencing double digit growth over the course of the past year, CNBC has shown declines in their core Business Day viewership. In the 25-54 demo, CNBC delivered its lowest rated quarter since 1991, and in total viewers, had its lowest rated quarter in 22 years, dating back to 1995. Additionally, CNBC is the only business channel showing yearly declines, while all other networks have double-digit gains across the board for the year, notably down 14 percent in Business Day viewers over their performance last year (177,000 total viewers).
With markets hitting new record highs despite shakeups due to natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, along with rising tensions with North Korea, FBN closed out the month of September with its 11th monthly win over CNBC. Averaging 195,000 total Business Day viewers, FBN came in 23 percent higher than CNBC during Business Day for September, which had 158,000 total viewers, which was its second lowest rated month ever. Additionally, FBN grew its audience 23 percent in September with all Business Day programs topping CNBC in total viewers during their timeslots.
3Q‘17 Business Day (9:30A-5P/ET)
FBN: 187,000 total viewers (up 26%) and 23,000 A25-54 (up 21%)
CNBC: 152,000 total viewers (down 14%) and 26,000 A25-54 (down 30%)
September Business Day:
FBN: 195,000 total viewers (up 23%) and 25,000 A25-54 (up 25%)
CNBC: 158,000 total viewers (down 3%) and 27,000 A25-54 (down 23%)
3Q’17 Program Ranker for the Top Five Business Programs:
Total Viewers: Lou Dobbs Tonight (315,000), Varney & Co (234,000), CAVUTO Coast to Coast (175,000), Countdown to Closing Bell (171,000), The Intelligence Report with Trish Regan (167,000)
FOX Business Network (FBN) is a financial news channel delivering real-time information across all platforms that impact both Main Street and Wall Street. Headquartered in New York—the business capital of the world—FBN launched in October 2007 and is available in more than 80 million homes in all markets across the United States. FBN finished the fourth quarter of 2016 as the number one business network, topping CNBC in total day viewers. Owned by 21st Century Fox, the network has bureaus in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and London. On the web at www.foxbusiness.com
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FOX Business Network Media Contacts:
Caley Cronin 212-301-3972
Kelly McGoldrick 212-301-3875