CNBC Viewership Plunges To 21 Year Lows

Midpack

Midpack

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Like many others here, I quit watching the financial noise channel decades ago, and it appears I was following the herd out the door. Not surprising, but a quantitative appraisal of CNBCs value?
It's over: whether due to the complete domination of centrally-planned markets by a few central banks, whether as a result of HFTs forcing out all human traders and investors, whether due to volatility plunging to record lows and complacency at record highs, whether viewers simply aren't impressed by the new young, female faces that are increasingly taking over the primetime financial TV slots, because people are tired of Cramer's endless "caffeine" high and endless attempts to justify a record disconnect between manipulated record high "markets" and a stagnant economy in which some 53 million workers are "freelancers", or simply because video game consoles don't watch TV, America's interest with finance and the stock market is over.
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Now what: Will they get even more outlandish to try to get the numbers up? Will they throw in the towel? I doubt it. All of the cable channels have taken a hit as the number of viewing options has expanded. I'm guessing that a viewership comprised of people with available cash who are presumably looking for a place to invest it (and maybe spend some, too) will continue to be sought by advertisers.
So, the circus will continue.
Maybe they'll do their live remotes from the trading floor in bikinis.
 
I've never watched CNBC, expect perhaps by accident at an airport. If the viewership starts getting up to 2001 and 2008 levels, lets us all know and we can sell short.
 
Midpack said:
Like many others here, I quit watching the financial noise channel decades ago, and it appears I was following the herd out the door. Not surprising, but a quantitative appraisal of CNBCs value?
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I still watch an hour or so of CNBC a week. I am surprised with the stock market performance that more people aren't watching. Another explanation is the Fox business channel (which is CNBC light IMO) is siphoning off viewers along with the general decline of cable TV viewership.
 
I watch CNBC every morning for an hour or so......before Cramer comes on the air.

Say what you want but CNBC is the number 1 financial TV broadcast channel, second to no other financial channel I know of. On the other hand I can get stock updates on my smart phone, google financial news and what you have to ask yourself is how has the value of broadcast financial news changed over the years. I'm heavily into index funds,trade seldom but enjoy watching financial news. I like seeing Warren Buffet, CEO's of major corporations, hear about financial events around the world and I get those on CNBC. I did sell my European index funt (not much in it) after listening to CNBC one day.

If you want financial news, what broadcast channels or programs do you watch that you prefer over CNBC?
 
rec7 said:
Can a person watch CNBC or Fox business channel without cable?
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They are cable channels.

That said - CNBC used to be part of basic cable... and since our system didn't scramble basic cable - you could pick it up with a cable ready tv... About a year ago CNBC stopped being available without a cable box from the cable company, or a cable card.

I have the bottom of the bottom of the basic cable (standard def non-premium channels). I don't get CNBC... I get all the other "basic" cable channels.

I think CNBC insisted on having their channel encrypted (hence the requirement for cable card or cable box) even though they are basic cable... that lost them market share.
 
Well good, because it's total crap now!

I used to watch it pretty avidly from the mid 90s to mid 2000s, then started watching less when it seemed to gradually become more political, and finally several years ago totally gave up it had become so editorial and rabid - spin, spin, spin.

Glad to see I'm not the only one!

It's amazing how so many cable shows have lost viewers as people get turned off by the ridiculous programming and sensationalism (nature channels, even the weather channel). Yet what so they do? Pile on even more of the same crap.

So it was easy to drop cable completely at the beginning of this year.
 
I think the programming was initially good, very informative, lots of interviews and raw information, and they didn't overdo the spin - or at least it was fairly tongue-in-cheek.

I noticed that through the 2008-2010 financial crisis, the CNBC "voice" really struggled as their instincts were to defend the Wall Street industry that had created such a disastrous mess. After that, they seemed to get completely mired in the general political divisiveness that took over the country. Just sounded like a me too shop after that - nothing distinctive at all except for a continuous parade of pundits of the day.

I actually don't think the problem is Cramer (or any of the reasons listed in the above quote). As nutty as the guy comes across, often he is one of the few sane voices. I hope his 2008 scream that "they (the Fed and the Treasury) know nothing!" is never forgotten as he was completely correct in the face of massive denial. He was vilified at the time, and boy did he show them.
 
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REWahoo said:
+1

I could kick myself for not doing it a couple of years ago.
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I really can't believe how impossibly bad cable channels like Nat Geo got. They used to have wonderful programming!

I really enjoyed the cable programming in the 90s: Travel Channel, various DIY channels, a few channels that would run the great old mystery shows. Then somehow by the late 2000s it got taken over with weird reality shows and contest shows. You couldn't turn on A&E without running into the whatever city housewives or Bridezilla or whatever.

Weather channel used to the the Weather Channel. Then it became the sensationalized re-enactments Weather History Channel (some of which wasn't even true). If people want to watch news about the weather (current and forecast), and something else is on, they change channels!!! I thinks it's dropped now from many cable line-ups?

An illustration: what happened to The Discovery Channel and their Shark Week
Shark Week loses nine million viewers, but Discovery says "everyone is absolutely thrilled" - Science Sushi | DiscoverMagazine.com

Sorry Fans, Discovery has Jumped the Shark Week
 
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I still watch CNBC when I'm getting ready for work in the morning BUT I'm getting tired of Joe Kernan's over-talking everyone. I listen in sometimes on satellite radio if they have an interesting guest. I could never stand Kudlow....mainly it's his voice....I know that's not a good reason but there it is. I use to watch Mad Money but not so much any more, too many booyahs and props.
 
splitwdw said:
I still watch CNBC when I'm getting ready for work in the morning BUT I'm getting tired of Joe Kernan's over-talking everyone. I listen in sometimes on satellite radio if they have an interesting guest. I could never stand Kudlow....mainly it's his voice....I know that's not a good reason but there it is. I use to watch Mad Money but not so much any more, too many booyahs and props.
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Can you understand Joe? He mumbles so much I have a hard time understanding what he is saying.
 
Notice the ratings in the crash years. This is why most cable channels love misery. News or news-like channels prefer bad times, and even manufacture them if you ask me.

In some circumstances, it is disgraceful.

I pretty much have stopped watching all these channels. I especially mourn the loss of The Weather Channel of old.
 
I have it on in the background from 5AM to market close.

Best case: Pick things up through osmosis.
Worse case: Makes a quiet house less quiet.
 
Not for the ticker, but for the underlying news, Real Money with Ali Velshi on Al Jazeera.
Before this, he was on CNN for 12 years. Best interviewer for facts and deep background.
My opinion only...
 
I prefer Bloomberg when I get the itch to listen to TV financial news. Maybe two or three hours a week, which is less than in the past.

Most of the CNBC anchors I liked the most are gone: Erin Burnett left and Mark Haines died in 2011. Maria Bartiromo left in 2013.

Relatively speaking, Bloomberg is less frenetic than CNBC. I haven't tried Fox Financial.

I watch Bloomberg before or after w*rk. Tom Keene in the morning has grown on me. I didn't care for the radio simulcast format the first few times I saw it, though. For my taste, the Bloomberg West show is very watchable. They rarely spend much time on daily ups and downs, instead spending their time on technology stories and interviews. And Pimm Fox is a capable, no-hype interviewer. His nightly wrap-up is good enough to remind me I really miss Louis Ruykeyser from the old days.

Are there any night owls here that like to watch Bloomberg's European and Asian coverage? Very calm and to-the-point, even when reporting daily ups and downs. I enjoy it when I can, but lately it seems infomercials have taken over the time around midnight when I used to find it flipping channels as I tried to go to sleep.
 
audreyh1 said:
I used to watch it pretty avidly from the mid 90s to mid 2000s, then started watching less when it seemed to gradually become more political, and finally several years ago totally gave up it had become so editorial and rabid - spin, spin, spin.

Glad to see I'm not the only one!
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Definitely not. I never watched it heavily but yeah, like almost all forms of cable "news" they couldn't help themselves and had to inject ideology and politics into far too much.
 
Other successful cable "genre shows", such as MTV, Food Network, History Channel, all faced the same challenge but were able to keep their viewer ratings. They all evolved their programming into reality TV and shifted their original program to another, low cost channel to continue with the original program format.

Maybe that's what CNBC needs to do. They're trying, putting on programs related to financial crime and such, but they need to do a lot more. Move the financial reporting to a sister show with nothing flashy, straight reporting. Then put on some new reality shows that really have little to do with "financial news" but do focus on creating groups of people that need money for something and will compete for cash prizes by being irresponsible or doing dumb things. Kramer was a decent start but they didn't push that concept hard enough.
 
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