“Kudlow” and “Varney & Co.” Mark Two Years Running as Top Business Programs in Cable
“Mornings with Maria” Outpaces CNBC’s “Squawk Box” with Viewers for the First Time Since 2018
NEW YORK – December 14, 2023 – FOX Business Network (FBN) closed out 2023 as the leader in business news, outpacing CNBC in Business Day viewers and Market Hours for the second straight year, according to Nielsen Media Research. Additionally, FBN dominated the business news ranker with Larry Kudlow’s Kudlow (weekdays, 4 PM/ET) and Stuart Varney’s Varney & Co. (weekdays, 9 AM-12 PM/ET) ranking as the top two programs in business news for the year. Additionally, pre-market program Mornings with Maria (weekdays, 6-9 AM/ET), helmed by Maria Bartiromo, marked a win over CNBC’s Squawk Box for the first time since 2018.
Notably on September 27th, FOX Business hosted the second Republican presidential primary debate with Stuart Varney and FOX News Channel’s Dana Perino as co-moderators, alongside Univision’s Ilia Calderón. The debate was the most-watched program in linear television, digital and streaming that day averaging nearly 10 million viewers, with FBN delivering 1,817,000 viewers and 411,000 in the 25-54 demo, marking its highest-rated telecast since 2016.
FBN’s key network dayparts continued to outpace CNBC. The network’s Business Day (9:30 AM-5 PM/ET) programming averaged 200,000 viewers, a 6% advantage with viewers. During Market Hours (9 AM-4 PM/ET) FBN saw gains over CNBC with total viewers (194,000 total viewers; up 1% over CNBC). Meanwhile, FBN’s primetime programming, from 8-11 PM/ET, garnered 44% year-over-year growth in total viewers, 100% year-over-year growth among the 25-54 demo and 58% growth with the A35-64 demo.
During market-open hours, FBN’s Varney & Co. outpaced CNBC’s Squawk on the Street with viewers (260,000 total viewers) for the second straight year and the sixth yearly win in the show’s history. In the network’s post-market coverage, Larry Kudlow’s eponymous Kudlow was once again the most-watched business news program in cable, garnering a 63% advantage over CNBC’s Closing Bell. The program drew in 278,000 viewers, the second consecutive year it surpassed its competition. For the first time since 2018, Maria Bartiromo’s Mornings with Maria (weekdays, 6-9 AM/ET) crushed CNBC’s Squawk Box during the critical pre-market hours, nabbing 110,000 viewers, its third highest-rated year ever. Neil Cavuto’s CAVUTO: Coast to Coast (weekdays, 12 PM/ET) drew in 163,000 total viewers, the newly minted The Big Money Show (weekdays, 1 PM/ET) scored 137,000 viewers, Making Money (weekdays, 2 PM/ET) saw 146,000 viewers and The Claman Countdown (weekdays, 3 PM/ET) closed out the trading day seeing 158,000 total viewers.
For the year, nearly all of FBN’s post-market programs posted advantages over CNBC. The Evening Edit with Elizabeth MacDonald at 5 PM/ET clobbered CNBC’s Fast Money/Options Action with 167,000 viewers and 3% year-over-year growth. The Bottom Line (weekdays, 6 PM/ET) with Dagen McDowell and Sean Duffy, which debuted earlier this year, netted 145,000 viewers, a 12% advantage over CNBC’s Mad Money. Notably, Jim Cramer’s Mad Money has not won in the 6 PM/ET timeslot since 2021. The 7 PM/ET encore airing of Kudlow, which began in May and was previously Kennedy, averaged 100,000 viewers, besting CNBC’s newest program, Last Call by 12%. Friday evening program Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street (Fridays, 7-7:30 PM/ET) set a 4% advantage over CNBC while Barron’s Roundtable (Fridays, 7:30-8 PM/ET) remained a fan favorite program.
The network’s primetime programming slate, FBN Prime, presented its fourth season in 2023, introducing the iconic series COPS to the lineup on Thursdays and Fridays from 8-11 PM/ET. The program was an immediate hit, notching double and triple digit year-over-year growth (up 115% with total viewers YOY; up 422% with the 25-54 demo YOY; up 188% with the 35-64 demo YOY) and delivering its highest rated year since 2020 while CNBC delivered its lowest rated year since 2005.
Amongst affluent audiences in the advertiser-friendly 25-54 demo, the network delivered 11 of the top 20 cable news programs. American Built (Mondays, 9 and 9:30 PM/ET) ranked first with an average median income of $195,400. Mornings with Maria, Varney & Co., Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street and The Claman Countdown, each placed among the top 10 programs and earned an average income of $140,200 or more. Making Money, Mansion Global, CAVUTO: Coast to Coast, The Big Money Show, Barron’s Roundtable and Kudlow rounded out the top 20 with an average income of $129,800 or more.
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 70 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.
