History of CNBC in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 18, 2026

CNBC (Consumer News and Business Channel) is a prominent American pay television business news channel owned by NBCUniversal. Launched in 1989, it serves as a leading source for real-time financial market data, economic news, and business analysis. Its programming primarily focuses on live coverage of global stock markets, corporate reports, and interviews with influential political and business leaders. Beyond its television presence, CNBC maintains a robust digital platform, offering market updates, personal finance advice, and original documentaries. The network is widely regarded for its influence on the investment community and is a staple in households and financial institutions globally for tracking economic trends and industrial developments throughout the trading day.

July 30, 1979: Founding of the Satellite Program Network

On July 30, 1979, the Satellite Program Network (SPN) was founded, initially broadcasting a variety of instructional content, entertainment, and older films.

June 1988: NBC acquires transponder lease

In June 1988, the National Broadcasting Company chose to lease the transponder previously occupied by Tempo Television, setting the stage for the creation of CNBC.

April 17, 1989: Relaunch as the Consumer News and Business Channel

On April 17, 1989, under the leadership of Tom Rogers and operated as a joint venture with Cablevision, the channel officially relaunched as the Consumer News and Business Channel, featuring Neil Cavuto as the inaugural anchor.

1990: CNBC faces initial carriage challenges

During the winter of 1990, CNBC struggled to secure cable carriage and reached only 17 million homes, which was less than half of the reach of its competitor, the Financial News Network (FNN).

March 2, 1991: FNN Files for Bankruptcy

On March 2, 1991, following an accounting scandal, the Financial News Network (FNN) filed for bankruptcy protection and placed the company up for sale.

May 21, 1991: CNBC Acquires FNN

On May 21, 1991, a bankruptcy judge awarded FNN to CNBC for $154.3 million after a competitive bidding process, leading to a merger of the two networks and the subsequent sale of Cablevision's stake in CNBC to NBC.

1991: NBC Acquires Financial News Network

In 1991, NBC successfully acquired the competing Financial News Network (FNN) following its bankruptcy, subsequently merging the entity into CNBC and securing full ownership by purchasing Cablevision's stake.

1992: End of CNBC/FNN Daytime Branding

Throughout 1992, CNBC phased out the 'CNBC/FNN Daytime' branding that had been utilized since the merger to integrate FNN's on-air presentation style.

August 1993: Roger Ailes Hired as CNBC President

In August 1993, Roger Ailes was appointed as the president of CNBC by NBC CEO Bob Wright, with the primary objective of revitalizing the network, which was experiencing performance struggles at the time.

June 1995: Launch of CNBC Asia

In June 1995, CNBC expanded its international presence by launching CNBC Asia, which was headquartered in Hong Kong to provide financial news coverage for the Asian market.

January 1996: Roger Ailes Resigns from CNBC

In January 1996, Roger Ailes resigned from his position at CNBC following internal disputes with NBC management, specifically regarding the company's decision to enter a joint venture with Microsoft to launch the MSNBC network.

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March 1996: Launch of CNBC Europe

In March 1996, the network continued its global expansion by establishing CNBC Europe, a television service based in London to serve the European audience.

1996: Original CNBC Logo Debut

The year 1996 marked the debut of the previous CNBC logo design, which remained the network's primary visual identity until its replacement in late 2023.

December 1997: CNBC and Dow Jones Strategic Alliance

In December 1997, CNBC entered a major strategic partnership with Dow Jones, which involved sharing content with Dow Jones Newswires, The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, and Barron's. The channel was rebranded as a service of NBC and Dow Jones, and Dow Jones's existing business channels, European Business News and Asia Business News, were merged into CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia respectively.

2000: CNBC Peak Daytime Viewership

In 2000, CNBC achieved its highest daytime viewership of 343,000, reflecting the network's significant growth in audience alongside the soaring stock market during that period.

2001: CNBC Partners with MSN

Starting in 2001, the digital operations and management of the CNBC website were taken over by MSN as part of a strategic partnership.

2002: CNBC Ratings Decline

In 2002, CNBC experienced a significant decrease in popularity following the dot-com bubble burst, resulting in a 44% drop in viewing figures.

August 2003: CNBC Partners with AccuWeather

In August 2003, CNBC entered into a formal agreement to integrate and provide meteorological content and data supplied by AccuWeather across its programming.

October 2003: CNBC Relocates World Headquarters

In October 2003, CNBC successfully transitioned its world headquarters from Fort Lee, New Jersey, to a modern digital video production facility located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

2003: Continued Ratings Decline

The downward trend for CNBC continued throughout 2003, with the network's ratings falling by an additional 5%.

2005: NBC Universal Reacquires CNBC International Units

At the end of 2005, NBC Universal officially reacquired full control of CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia, ending the partnership with Dow Jones for those specific regional branches.

2005: Ratings Reach Lowest Point

During the first quarter of 2005, CNBC's viewership bottomed out, recording an average daytime audience of only 134,000 viewers.

September 2006: Launch of FTSE CNBC Global 300

In September 2006, CNBC collaborated with the FTSE Group to introduce the FTSE CNBC Global 300, a stock market index tracking the fifteen largest firms across all Industry Classification Benchmark sectors alongside thirty top companies from emerging markets.

2006: End of MSN and CNBC Partnership

The collaborative agreement wherein MSN operated the CNBC website concluded in 2006.

June 1, 2007: Launch of CNBC Africa

On June 1, 2007, the television network CNBC Africa was officially launched as a new regional channel.

October 22, 2007: Introduction of the CNBC Investor Network

On October 22, 2007, CNBC debuted the CNBC Investor Network, a system utilizing webcams in financial institutions across the U.S. to conduct real-time interviews with traders.

December 2007: Partnership with Yahoo! Finance

In December 2007, CNBC established a formal content-sharing partnership with the digital platform Yahoo! Finance.

2007: CNBC 2007 Financial and Ratings Success

Throughout 2007, CNBC achieved record-breaking viewership ratings and generated over $333 million in profit, positioning itself as the second most profitable cable channel under the NBC Universal umbrella.

January 2008: CNBC and The New York Times Content Partnership

In January 2008, CNBC and The New York Times established a strategic content partnership intended to strengthen their market position against rising competition from News Corporation.

May 2008: CNBC and AOL Content Partnership

During May 2008, CNBC further expanded its reach by entering into a content partnership agreement with AOL.

2008: CNBC Daytime Viewership Milestone

In the first quarter of 2008, CNBC achieved a seven-year high in average daytime viewership, reaching 310,000 viewers.

2009: Ratings Decline During Great Recession

Throughout 2009, CNBC experienced a significant drop in ratings as the network's coverage was dominated by negative economic news stemming from the Great Recession.

January 2010: Launch of SBS-CNBC

In January 2010, the network expanded its global presence with the launch of SBS-CNBC, a Korean language channel that became the fifteenth CNBC-branded outlet worldwide.

July 2010: BT and CNBC Europe Content Distribution Agreement

In July 2010, BT entered into a five-year contract with CNBC Europe to facilitate the distribution of content from their London headquarters to various sister sites across Europe and the United States.

2011: CNBC Wins International Broadcasting Convention Award

In 2011, CNBC received an award at the International Broadcasting Convention for its CNBC 4D technology, which incorporates interactive motion tracking enabling presenters to engage with 3D graphics through a collaboration with Unreel, Brainstorm, and Motion Analysis.

June 2012: CNBC Expands Yahoo! Finance Partnership

In June 2012, CNBC broadened its collaborative agreement with Yahoo! Finance to increase its digital audience, recording 6.5 million unique visitors to its own website that month while leveraging the significantly larger traffic base of Yahoo! Finance.

2012: Expiration of Licensing Agreement with Dow Jones

In 2012, the long-standing licensing agreement between Dow Jones and CNBC U.S. reached its expiration date, concluding the formal partnership.

2013: CNBC Assumes Production of Nightly Business Report

During 2013, CNBC took over the production duties for the public television program Nightly Business Report, transitioning it away from NBR Worldwide.

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2013: CNBC Disruptor 50 Launch

In 2013, CNBC introduced the inaugural CNBC Disruptor 50, an annual list created to highlight private companies that are transforming industries and business landscapes.

2013: Maria Bartiromo Departs CNBC

In 2013, prominent host Maria Bartiromo left CNBC to join Fox Business, reportedly due to a more lucrative salary offer that significantly exceeded her compensation at CNBC.

2014: CNBC25 List Debut

In 2014, CNBC launched the CNBC25, a recurring annual list feature meant to recognize significant entities or milestones, expanding their portfolio of editorial rankings.

January 6, 2015: CNBC Updates Ratings Measurement Methodology

On January 6, 2015, CNBC transitioned its ratings measurement for business day programming from Nielsen to Cogent Research. This change was implemented to gain more precise data on out-of-home viewership by surveying financial advisers and investors, although Nielsen remained the source for tracking entertainment programming viewership.

October 2015: CNBC Republican Primary Debate viewership milestone

In October 2015, CNBC broadcasted a Republican Party candidates debate that attracted 14 million viewers, establishing a new record as the most-watched program in the network's history at that time.

January 10, 2016: CNBC Partnership with Trans Media

On January 10, 2016, CNBC officially entered into a strategic partnership with the Indonesian media company Trans Media. This collaboration was established to launch a localized version of the network known as CNBC Indonesia.

2017: Fox Business Overtakes CNBC

In 2017, Fox Business surpassed CNBC to become the most-watched business news network during daytime broadcasting hours.

2019: Sale of TheStreet

In 2019, Jim Cramer, who co-founded TheStreet, sold the company to The Arena Group, ending his previous business arrangement.

2020: CNBC Digital Video Milestone

During the year 2020, CNBC reached a significant milestone by achieving a record-breaking 1.92 billion total digital video starts across all of its online platforms.

2020: Premiere of The News with Shepard Smith

In 2020, CNBC launched a new evening newscast titled The News with Shepard Smith, hosted by the former Fox News anchor, which debuted in September 2020 with the aim of providing objective, fact-based reporting.

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September 2021: Jim Cramer Signs Multi-Platform Deal with CNBC

In September 2021, CNBC and Jim Cramer entered into a new multi-platform agreement, which involved Cramer Media collaborating on live events, digital content, and a direct-to-consumer subscription service.

January 2022: Launch of CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer

In January 2022, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer subscription service officially launched, offering users exclusive commentary, stock recommendations, and monthly virtual meetings.

August 2022: Leadership Transition at CNBC

In August 2022, Mark Hoffman concluded his 17-year tenure as president of CNBC, with KC Sullivan, the president of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, taking over the role.

November 2022: Cancellation of The News with Shepard Smith

In November 2022, CNBC announced the cancellation of the low-rated program The News with Shepard Smith as part of a strategic shift toward more business-focused programming.

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January 2023: Premiere of Last Call with Brian Sullivan

In January 2023, CNBC launched the new financial news program Last Call with Brian Sullivan, replacing the previously cancelled evening news show.

December 11, 2023: CNBC Logo and Graphics Rebrand

On December 11, 2023, CNBC implemented a major visual rebrand, introducing a new logo that aligns with the updated NBC corporate design, implementing a flat graphic style, and transitioning their dual-tiered stock ticker to a streamlined single-scroll format.

2023: CNBC Viewership Performance

During the year 2023, CNBC achieved higher total day and primetime viewership ratings compared to its primary competitor, Fox Business, although it remained behind in trading day viewership metrics.