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Fox Business overtakes CNBC in viewers during Q2

Stuart Varney, the host of "Varney & Co." (Still frame via broadcast, courtesy photo)
Stuart Varney, the host of “Varney & Co.” (Still frame via broadcast, courtesy photo)

The Fox Business Network was the most-watched business cable news channel among total day viewers during the second quarter (Q2) of 2024, according to Nielsen data.

The channel scored the highest ratings among the competitive set of business news channels in Q2, grabbing an average of 187,000 viewers during the key business hours between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Nielsen data showed. By comparison, CNBC drew an average of 178,000 viewers during the same time frame.



Fox Business grew its business day viewership 11 percent on a year-over basis. Some of its programs that are popular with viewers include “Kudlow,” which delivered an average of 282,000 viewers during Q2, the highest ratings of any business program on cable television.

“Varney & Co.,” hosted by Stuart Varney, grabbed 231,000 total viewers during Q2. The show airs a three-hour block starting at 9 a.m. during the business week, excluding weekends and bank holidays.

During the total day (measured over a 24-hour period, starting at 6 a.m. Eastern Time), Fox Business held steady with an average of 124,000 viewers, compared to CNBC’s 119,000 viewers, Nielsen data showed.

In the morning hours, Maria Bartiromo’s “Mornings with Maria” was the highest-rated business program in its time slot for the fifth consecutive quarter, scoring 108,000 viewers across its three-hour block. The show airs in the pre-market hours, with its first block starting at 6 a.m.

Other programs that scored high ratings include:

  • “Cavuto: Coast to Coast,” 143,000 viewers (12 p.m. ET)
  • “The Big Money Show,” 124,000 viewers (1 p.m. ET)
  • “Making Money with Charles Payne,” 138,000 viewers (2 p.m. ET)
  • “The Claman Countdown,” 144,000 viewers (3 p.m. ET)
  • “The Evening Edit with Elizabeth McDonald,” 160,000 viewers (5 p.m. ET)
  • “The Bottom Line,” 133,000 viewers (6 p.m. ET)

In prime-time, Fox Business airs alternate programming, including re-runs of its Fox Nation series “Cops,” which earned a 28 percent advantage in the key demographic of adults between the ages of 25 to 54-year-olds (A25-54), compared to repeats of “Shark Tank” on CNBC. The A25-54 demographic is most-attractive to cable news advertisers.

Fox Business Network had three of the top 10 shows among affluent audiences, including Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Varney & Co., and “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street,” the latter of which airs Friday evenings and repeats over the weekend.

The Fox Business Network is part of Fox News Media, which also operates the Fox News Channel, Fox Weather, Fox News Books, Fox News Radio, Fox News Audio and Fox Nation. Fox News Media is a subsidiary of Fox Corporation.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is a nationally-recognized, award-winning journalist who has covered the business of media, technology, radio and television for more than 11 years. He is the publisher of The Desk and contributes to Know Techie, Digital Content Next and StreamTV Insider. He previously worked for Thomson Reuters, the Walt Disney Company, McNaughton Newspapers and Tribune Broadcasting.
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