‘Kudlow’ and ‘Varney & Co.’ Mark 15 Consecutive Months as the Top Two Most-Watched Programs in Business News
FBN Claims Eight of the Top 15 Business Programs on Cable
CNBC Sinks in Primetime, Delivering Its Lowest Rated Month Since 2006 with Viewers, Lowest Since 1992 with the Advertiser Coveted Demographic
NEW YORK – May 31, 2023 – FOX Business Network (FBN) maintained its dominance as the leader in business news for the month of May 2023 easily surpassing CNBC for the 14th consecutive month in business day hours and notching eight of the top 15 business programs on cable, according to Nielsen Media Research. In the midst of the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations, FBN continued to serve as the go-to business network with Kudlow (weekdays, 4 PM/ET) and Varney & Co. (weekdays, 9 AM-12 PM/ET) ranking as the top two programs in business news for the 15th straight month. Remarkably, CNBC delivered its lowest rated month since 2006 with viewers and since 1992 with the younger 25-54 demo in primetime.
Larry Kudlow’s eponymous post-market program Kudlow (weekdays, 4 PM/ET), once again led the cable news ranker. Delivering 260,000 total viewers for the month of May, the show easily outpaced CNBC’s Closing Bell (170,000 viewers) posting a 53% advantage. Stuart Varney’s market-open program Varney & Co. (weekdays, 9 AM-12 PM/ET) scored second with 245,000 viewers which also bested CNBC’s Squawk on the Street’s 197,000 viewers by 24%.
During pre-market hours, Maria Bartiromo’s Mornings with Maria (weekdays, 6-9 AM/ET) easily bested CNBC’s Squawk Box in the pivotal 6 AM and 7 AM hours. FBN’s daytime programming continued to drive strong viewership with CAVUTO: Coast to Coast (weekdays,12 PM/ET) drawing in 152,000 viewers, The Big Money Show (weekdays, 1 PM/ET) securing 132,000, Making Money with Charles Payne (weekdays, 2 PM/ET) delivering 143,000 and The Claman Countdown (weekdays, 3 PM/ET) notching 158,000. Each daytime program nabbed a placement among the 15 most-watched business programs in cable.
At 5 PM/ET, Elizabeth MacDonald’s post-market program The Evening Edit outranked CNBC’s Fast Money/Options Action for the ninth consecutive month, delivering 160,000 viewers compared to CNBC’s 154,000. The Bottom Line (weeknights 6 PM/ET) with co-hosts Dagen McDowell and Sean Duffy continued to best CNBC’s signature program Mad Money, bringing in 136,000 viewers, a 5% advantage over Jim Cramer’s May performance. Kennedy (weeknights, 7 PM/ET) averaged 81,000 viewers for the month.
FBN’s primetime hours (8-11 PM/ET) recorded a 41% advantage in viewers and a 111% advantage in the younger demo versus the previous month. Notably, FBN is airing the iconic series COPS (Thursdays, 8-11 PM/ET) on FBN Prime. Since the beginning of this season of FBN Prime, the program has scored 157,000 viewers, making it FBN Prime’s highest-ranked program ever. Additionally, COPS SWEPT CNBC’s Shark Tank/CNBC Special Report across the board for the month of May.
FBN delivered seven of the top 10 most upscale cable news & business programs on television with A25-54 with American Built (Mondays, 9 PM/ET) taking first place with a median income of $310,000. Varney & Co., Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street, WSJ at Large, Mornings with Maria, The Claman Countdown and Making Money all brought in median incomes of more than $149,700. The Big Money Show and CAVUTO: Coast to Coast placed among the top 15 programs each securing a median income greater than $130,700.
***Below is the data according to Nielsen Media Research
Ratings for the month of May 2023
Business Day (9:30 AM-5 PM/ET)
FBN: 195,000 total viewers and 12,000 A25-54
CNBC: 187,000 total viewers and 40,000 A25-54
Market Hours (9 AM-4 PM/ET)
FBN: 188,000 total viewers and 13,000 A25-54
CNBC: 191,000 total viewers and 41,000 A25-54
Total Day (6 AM-6 AM/ET)
FBN: 126,000 total viewers and 13,000 A25-54
CNBC: 131,000 total viewers and 29,000 A25-54
**Program Specials Excluded**
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 currently the top business channel on television. The network is available in nearly 80 million homes in all markets across the United States. Owned by Fox Corporation, FBN is a unit of FOX News Media and has bureaus in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
