CNBC is a leading global financial news and business media brand owned by NBCUniversal, with decades of established credibility in delivering real-time market coverage, authoritative analysis, and exclusive industry content. It has carved out a distinctive position in the competitive financial media landscape, serving a diverse audience that ranges from professional institutional investors to retail traders and general business enthusiasts. The brand’s consistent focus on high-quality journalism and access to top global business leaders has made it a trusted source of financial information worldwide.
Backed by the resources of a major global media conglomerate, CNBC has successfully navigated the industry shift from traditional linear television to multi-platform digital distribution. It has expanded its presence across streaming services, social media, and digital news platforms, retaining its core audience while growing its reach among younger, digital-first consumers. This adaptability has helped the brand maintain its competitive edge against both traditional cable rivals and free digital-native financial news platforms.
CNBC’s brand equity is deeply tied to its identity as a gateway to the global financial ecosystem. Its ability to secure exclusive interviews with CEOs, policymakers, and market influencers has created significant intangible value, reinforcing its reputation as an essential destination for anyone seeking insights into global business and finance.
Brand leadership
Score: 88/100
CNBC holds a top-tier leadership position in the global financial media segment, with high brand recognition and industry influence that outpaces most competitors. Its reputation for timely, accurate market reporting makes it the first-choice news source for many professional market participants, solidifying its leading standing among global financial news brands.
Audience interaction
Score: 82/100
CNBC maintains strong audience engagement across multiple distribution channels, including interactive live segments, social media conversations, and digital audience participation features. It regularly facilitates direct interaction between business leaders and its audience, keeping engagement levels high relative to many traditional financial media peers.
Brand momentum
Score: 79/100
CNBC has delivered positive brand momentum in recent years, offsetting mild industry-wide declines in traditional cable viewership with strong growth in digital audience and subscription numbers. Its expansion into social media content and streaming has kept the brand relevant to new audiences, sustaining overall positive momentum.
Brand stability
Score: 90/100
As a subsidiary of financially stable media conglomerate NBCUniversal, CNBC benefits from strong operational and financial backing. It has maintained consistent editorial standards and brand identity for decades, with no major reputational scandals or strategic shifts that would erode brand stability, justifying a high score.
Brand age
Score: 85/100
CNBC was founded in 1989, giving it more than 35 years of operating history in the financial media industry. Its long track record has allowed it to build deep trust and relationships within the global business community, and its consistent performance over decades gives it strong age-related brand equity.
Industry profile
Score: 92/100
CNBC holds an exceptionally high profile within the global finance and business industries. Its content is widely cited by market participants, corporate leaders, and policymakers, and it serves as a premier platform for corporate announcements and thought leadership, creating significant intangible brand value from its industry standing.
Global brand reach
Score: 86/100
CNBC reaches audiences in more than 89 countries and regions globally, with a network of 129 international bureaus that deliver seamless coverage of major financial markets across Asia, Europe, and North America. It adapts regional content while maintaining a global editorial focus, giving it a stronger global presence than most regionally focused financial media competitors.
AI can support preliminary reasoning about CNBC's brand value, but any derived figures are purely illustrative. For a fully audited, official brand valuation for CNBC, please contact the World Brand Lab directly.
Satellite Program Network
Financial News Network
sister channels
CNBC World
MS NOW
USA Network
Golf Channel
Syfy
E!
Oxygen
CNBC-e (Turkey)
website
https://cnbc.com/
online serv 1
CNBC Pro
online chan 1
CNBC Pro
(requires subscription)
online serv 2
ClaroTV+
online chan 2
(requires subscription to access content)
* ch.725
online serv 3
Service(s)
online chan 3
DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV
The Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) is an American business news channel owned by Versant.The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, daytimebusiness day, and early-evening hours, with the remaining hours (such as weekday prime time and weekends) filled by business-related documentaries and reality television programming, as well as occasional sports presentations from USA Sports (previously served by NBC Sports).CNBC operates an accompanying financial news website, CNBC.com, which includes news articles, video and podcast content, as well as subscription-based services.CNBC's headquarters and main studios are located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, while it also maintains a studio at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, New York City.
History
SPN, the launch of CNBC, and early years (1979–1993)
CNBC's roots date back to the founding of the Satellite Program Network (SPN) on July 30, 1979, which showed a low-budget mix of old movies and instructional and entertainment programs. The channel later changed its name to Tempo Television. After initially signing a letter of intent to acquire Tempo,[1]NBC opted for a deal to lease the channel's transponder in June 1988.[2] On this platform, and under the guidance of Tom Rogers, the channel was relaunched on April 17, 1989, as the Consumer News and Business Channel, with Neil Cavuto anchoring this first broadcast.NBC and Cablevision initially operated CNBC as a 50–50 joint venture,[3][4] and it was headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey.Sue Herera and Scott Cohn joined CNBC at its inception.[5][6][7]
Following the 1991 bankruptcy of the competing Financial News Network (FNN), NBC acquired and merged FNN into CNBC, while also acquiring Cablevision's stake in CNBC to grant it full ownership.In addition to its U.S. operations, CNBC operates the Europe and Asia branches and is involved in other international affiliates via joint ventures and franchise arrangements.In 2023, CNBC had higher total day and primetime viewership than its chief rival, Fox Business, but finished behind Fox in trading day viewership.[8][9][10]
CNBC had considerable difficulty getting cable carriage at first, as many providers were skeptical of placing it alongside the longer-established Financial News Network.By the winter of 1990, CNBC was in only 17 million homes—less than half of FNN's potential reach—despite the size of NBC, its parent.[11]
After an accounting scandal, FNN filed for bankruptcy protection on March 2, 1991, and put itself up for sale.After a bidding war with a Dow Jones & Company–Westinghouse Broadcasting consortium, CNBC was awarded FNN by a bankruptcy judge for $154.3 million on May 21, 1991, and merged the two operations.[12] CNBC hired around 60 of FNN's 300-person workforce, including Joe Kernen, who is still with the channel.[13][14] Other former FNN workers were hired by Bloomberg Television.[15] The deal expanded the network's distribution to over 40 million homes, thereby more than doubling its potential audience.[15] Cablevision sold its 49.5% stake in CNBC to NBC upon completion of the deal.[16]
Expansion (1993–2013)
Roger Ailes was hired as the president of CNBC in August 1993,[17][18] tasked by NBC CEO Bob Wright with turning around the struggling network.Ailes resigned in January 1996 due to disagreements with management, including the decision by NBC management to form a joint venture with Microsoft that included the rebrand of "America's Talking" as MSNBC.Under the leadership of Ailes, annual revenue at CNBC rose from $43 million to $110 million.[19][20]
In June 1995, CNBC launched the Hong Kong–based CNBC Asia,[21] and CNBC Europe
Rise in competition (2013–2024)
In 2013, host Maria Bartiromo left CNBC for Fox Business in part because Fox offered her $5–6 million per year compared to the $4 million per year that she made at CNBC.[53][54][55][56] Also that year, CNBC took over production of the popular public television program Nightly Business Report from NBR Worldwide, a subsidiary of Atalaya Global Management.[57]
The company publishes annual lists, including the CNBC Disruptor 50 since 2013[58] and the CNBC25 since 2014.[59]
Spin-off from NBCUniversal (2024–present)
On November 20, 2024, NBCUniversal announced its intent to spin off most of its cable networks, including CNBC, as a new publicly traded company controlled by Comcast shareholders, later known as Versant.CNBC had largely operated autonomously from NBC News until Cesar Conde became head of the NBCUniversal News Group in 2020, after which the network began to engage in some resource sharing with the division.[84][85][86]
In 2025, CNBC launched a new subscription streaming platform known as CNBC+, which offers live and on-demand streaming of CNBC and CNBC World programming. Bundles of the service with CNBC Pro and an "all-access" tier with CNBC Investing Club are also available.[87][88][89]
Physical stores
CNBC has a licensing partnership with Paradies Lagardère to operate retail locations in United States airports branded as CNBC News, CNBC Express, and CNBC SmartShop.The stores sell CNBC-branded merchandise as well as snacks and drinks.[96]
The CNBC stores first launched in 2001, when the company announced plans to open as many as 100 airport shops in the United States.[97] As of 2024, CNBC airport stores continue to expand, with a Pensacola International Airport location unveiled in Florida that November.[98]
Criticism
CNBC has been criticized for allegedly amplifying bull and bear markets, particularly in the run-up to the dot-com bubble and the subprime mortgage crisis a decade later.[28][99][100] In response to these criticisms, CNBC anchors have pointed to the size of the market and noted that influencing it is "a little out of our reach."[99]
Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's The Daily Show has been a vocal critic of CNBC and some of its personalities, beginning after comments were made by Rick Santelli.[101][102]
High definition
On October 10, 2007, CNBC HD, a 1080ihigh-definition televisionsimulcast of CNBC, was launched, first on DirecTV.[108]
On October 13, 2014, coincidentally the 11th anniversary of CNBC's relocation to its current facilities in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, CNBC switched to a full 16:9 letterbox presentation, in line with CNBC Asia and CNBC Europe.[109]
Gallery
Programming
Current notable programming (as of April 2026):[110]
Closing Bell: Scott Wapner
Closing Bell Overtime: Melissa Lee, Michael Santoil
Fast Money: Frank Holland (host), Guy Adami, Tim Seymour, and Karen Finerman (panelists)
Halftime Report: Scott Wapner
Mad Money: Jim Cramer
Money Movers: : Carl Quintanilla and Sara Eisen
Morning Call: Morgan Brennan
Power Lunch: Kelly Evans and Brian Sullivan
Squawk Box: Joe Kernen, Rebecca Quick, and Andrew Ross Sorkin
In December 1997, CNBC formed a strategic alliance with Dow Jones, including content sharing with Dow Jones Newswires, The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, and Barron's and the rebranding of the channel as "a service of NBC and Dow Jones."As part of the agreement, Dow Jones merged their competing business news channels—London-based European Business News and Singapore-based Asia Business News—into CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia, respectively, with CNBC shutting down its Hong Kong–based operation and relocating the new CNBC Asia to ABN's Singapore studios.[23][24][25]
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, CNBC's ratings increased sharply along with the stock market, often beating those of CNN during market hours.[26] The highest daytime viewership of the network in 2000 was 343,000.[27]
However, following the burst of the dot-com bubble, CNBC experienced a decline in its viewing figures.In 2002, CNBC's ratings fell 44% and were down another 5% in 2003.[28] The network's ratings steadily fell until bottoming in Q1 2005, with an average viewership of 134,000 during the day.[29]
From 2001 to 2006, the CNBC website was operated by MSN.[30][31]
In August 2003, CNBC signed a deal to provide weather content from AccuWeather.[32]
In October 2003, CNBC moved its world headquarters from Fort Lee (which became the new home of Telemundo flagship station WNJU) to a new digital video production studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.[33][34]
NBC Universal reacquired full control of loss-making CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia from Dow Jones at the end of 2005. The licensing agreement between Dow and CNBC U.S. remained intact until it expired in 2012.[35]
CNBC reported annual revenues of $510 million in 2006.[36] In September 2006, CNBC launched the FTSE CNBC Global 300 stock market index in conjunction with FTSE Group.The index includes the fifteen largest companies from each of the sectors of the Industry Classification Benchmark as well as the thirty largest companies from emerging markets.[37] Profits at CNBC exceeded $333 million in 2007, making CNBC the second most profitable of NBC Universal's thirteen cable channels in the United States, behind only the USA Network.Ratings hit an all-time high in 2007.[38][39]
CNBC Africa was launched on June 1, 2007.[40] On October 22, 2007, CNBC introduced the "CNBC Investor Network," a network of webcams stationed in the operating departments of various independent financial institutions across the United States, allowing traders to be interviewed instantaneously as news breaks.[41] In December 2007, CNBC formed a content partnership with Yahoo! Finance.[42]
In January 2008, CNBC formed a content partnership with The New York Times, which was seen as an attempt by both parties to take on increased competition from News Corporation.[43][44][45] In May 2008, CNBC formed a content partnership with AOL.[46]
Average daytime viewership (6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) reached a seven-year high of 310,000 viewers in the first quarter of 2008.[47] Ratings plummeted in 2009 as the network aired bad economic news resulting from the Great Recession.[48] In January 2010, the launch of the Korean language channel SBS-CNBC marked the fifteenth CNBC-branded channel worldwide.[49] In July 2010, BT signed a five-year contract with CNBC Europe to distribute content from its London headquarters to sister sites in Europe and the US.[50]
In 2011, CNBC won an award at the International Broadcasting Convention for its CNBC 4D: Interactive motion tracking that allows CNBC presenters to interact with 3D graphics, using technology from Unreel, Brainstorm, and Motion Analysis.[51] In June 2012, CNBC expanded its partnership with Yahoo! Finance to reach more online viewers. That month, CNBC.com had 6.5 million unique visitors in the United States, while Yahoo! Finance had 37.5 million.[52]
On January 6, 2015, CNBC changed the way it calculates ratings, switching from Nielsen ratings to a system by Cogent Research to calculate the viewership of its business day programming by surveying financial advisers and investors, with the goal of providing a more accurate measurement of the network's out-of-home viewership; Nielsen is still used to track the viewership of its entertainment programming.[60]
In October 2015, a Republican Party candidates debate hosted by CNBC was seen by 14 million viewers—the highest viewership of a CNBC program to date.[61][62]
On January 10, 2016, CNBC announced a partnership with Indonesian broadcaster Trans Media to form CNBC Indonesia.[63]
By 2017, Fox Business had overtaken CNBC as the most watched business news network during the day.[64][65]
CNBC's online video operations generated an all-time high of 1.92 billion total digital video starts across platforms in 2020.[66]
In 2020, CNBC hired former Fox News Channel anchor Shepard Smith to host a new evening newscast on the channel, The News with Shepard Smith, which premiered that September.It was positioned as an objective, "fact-based" national newscast.[67][68]
In September 2021, CNBC signed a new multi-platform deal with Jim Cramer; in addition to his existing television roles, the agreement includes the co-development of live events and digital content through his company Cramer Media (replacing his previous arrangement with TheStreet, which Cramer had co-founded and sold to The Arena Group in 2019), including a direct-to-consumer subscription service.[69] In January 2022, the subscription service launched as the "CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer," which includes commentaries, stock picks, and monthly online meetings.The service operates alongside another CNBC subscription service, "CNBC Pro," which similarly provides exclusive content and over-the-top streaming of CNBC's networks.[70][71]
In August 2022, Mark Hoffman stepped down as president of CNBC after 17 years at the network, being succeeded by NBCUniversal president of global advertising and partnerships KC Sullivan. Under Sullivan, the network began to refocus its programming to broaden appeal to its core business audience, including a promise of more business-related documentaries in primetime,[72][73] and cancelling the low-rated The News with Shepard Smith in November 2022 in favor of the new financial news program Last Call with Brian Sullivan, which premiered in January 2023,[74] and ran until July 18, 2024.[75]
On December 11, 2023, CNBC underwent a major rebranding, updating its logo for the first time since 1996 (adopting the updated NBC logo and corporate typeface introduced a year prior in the process),[76] and revamping its on-air graphics with a simpler flat design.The two-tiered stock ticker CNBC had historically used was replaced with a single scroll, with major indices now displayed in a strip below the stock ticker.[77]
In March 2024, CNBC announced plans to add its personal finance brand "Make It" to weekend programming.[78] Make It offers personal finance tips, career guidance, and other forms of advice-based content to consumers.[79] According to CNBC, Make It-branded content (which launched in 2016) forms CNBC.com’s largest vertical.[78]
In April 2024, CNBC celebrated its 35th anniversary with a ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.[9][80]
In November 2024, a Brazilian affiliate known as Times Brasil launched as CNBC's first local franchise in South America.It was founded by Douglas Tavolaro, who had originally founded CNN Brasil.[81][82][83]
Due to the spin-off, it was announced on August 18, 2025, that CNBC would undergo a rebranding to reduce its ties to the NBC brand. The channel would retain the "CNBC" name (unlike sister network MSNBC, which underwent a more significant rebrand to "MS NOW"), but adopt a new logo excluding the NBC peacock symbol.Versant head Mark Lazarus acknowledged that CNBC would be able to keep its name since it was originally an initialism for "Consumer News and Business Channel"; Versant still had to obtain a trademark license from NBCUniversal to continue using "NBC" as part of CNBC's name.[90][91]
In October 2025, both CNBC and MSNBC began the process of formally separating themselves from NBC News, ahead of the completion of the divestment in 2026.[92][93] CNBC unveiled its new logo in December 2025, which took effect on-air on December 13; it is designed around motifs originally introduced in the 2023 rebranding (including its neon blue corporate color, right triangle icons, and its associated on-air graphics—which were maintained with the rebranding), while also including visual references to CNBC's original wordmark (including tight kerning on the "N" and "B," albeit connected by a right triangle in negative space).[91][94][95]
Despite the lack of direct feedback from the network, several personalities have defended their predictions and comments.
CNBC was accused by the Obama administration of "cable chatter"—the excessive and sometimes brutal discussion on a particular topic, often one-sided.[105][106]
Performance of Jim Cramer's stock picks
Regarding CNBC's Mad Money host Jim Cramer, a 2007 article in Barron's stated that "his picks haven't beaten the market. Over the past two years, viewers holding Cramer's stocks would be up 12%, while the Dow rose 22% and the S&P 500 16%."[107]
Squawk Box Europe: Steve Sedgwick, Ben Boulos and Karen Tso (produced by CNBC Europe; final hour only)
Squawk on the Street: Carl Quintanilla, David Faber, Sara Eisen, and Jim Cramer
The Exchange: Kelly Evans
Non-business-programming, including Reality television
American Greed
Blue Collar Millionaires
Business Nation, anchored by award-winning journalist David Faber. Each edition of the program covers three stories: a mixture of profiles, investigative pieces, and features. The format of the show is structured similarly to HBO's Real Sports.[111]
Cleveland Hustles
CNBC on Assignment (for example, The Age of Wal-Mart)[112]
Cover to Cover
Dateline (aired during the overnight hours on Tuesday through Saturday)
CNBC occasionally serves as an outlet for NBC Sports programming and essentially acts as an overflow feed when USA Network is broadcasting sports events.Mainly, this has occurred on weekends, especially in the afternoon, and sports coverage is purposefully kept away from any part of the American trading day on weekdays.
Sports programming that have aired on CNBC includes the AMA Supercross Championship,[122]College Football,[123][124]cycling (including portions of the Tour de France,[125][126][127]
Notable former programming
Weekly, weekend and other programming
American Le Mans Series races (inaugural 1999 season only, as part of agreement with NBC Sports)
Champions Tour golf (moved to Golf Channel)
CNET
DLife: Your Diabetes Show (2005–2013, using weekend paid programming time)
Last Call (cancelled July 18, 2024)
Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street (ended its run on December 31, 2004, at Louis Rukeyser's request due to illness)
Market Watch
Market Week with Maria Bartiromo (renamed After Hours with Maria Bartiromo and then Special Report with Maria Bartiromo, cancelled in 2004)
National Geographic Explorer (moved to MSNBC and then to the National Geographic Channel
Weekly, weekend and other programming
American Le Mans Series races (inaugural 1999 season only, as part of agreement with NBC Sports)
Champions Tour golf (moved to Golf Channel)
CNET
DLife: Your Diabetes Show (2005–2013, using weekend paid programming time)
Last Call (cancelled July 18, 2024)
Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street (ended its run on December 31, 2004, at Louis Rukeyser's request due to illness)
Market Watch
Market Week with Maria Bartiromo (renamed After Hours with Maria Bartiromo and then Special Report with Maria Bartiromo, cancelled in 2004)
National Geographic Explorer (moved to MSNBC and then to the National Geographic Channel)
Nightly Business Report, a 30-minute weeknight business newscast hosted by Sue Herera and Bill Griffeth and distributed to U.S. public television stations. Launched in 1979, CNBC assumed production of the series in 2013 and ended it in December 2019.
148.PROGRAMMING UPDATE 🌟Due to a NASCAR delay, the 2021 All-Star Game presented by @CrowdStrike will start on CNBC -… July 18, 2021, retrieved February 5, 2022^
Under Versant, CNBC has added college basketball and Babe Ruth League baseball coverage from USA Sports.[153]
)
Nightly Business Report, a 30-minute weeknight business newscast hosted by Sue Herera and Bill Griffeth and distributed to U.S. public television stations. Launched in 1979, CNBC assumed production of the series in 2013 and ended it in December 2019.
On the Money, originally launched in 1970 as The Wall Street Journal Report, ended production in December 2019
