CNBC’s “Money Talks” premieres to low ratings

CNBC’s new sports betting reality show “Money Talks” premiered on Tuesday to low ratings, reports Rick Kissell of Variety.

Kissell writes, “Nielsen estimates that Tuesday’s premiere of the show about sports handicapper Steve Stevens averaged 127,000 viewers, including 65,000 in the adults 25-54 demo — 40% lower in overall viewership and 34% lower in the demo than the network’s year-to-date averages in the same 10 p.m. timeslot (212,000 and 99,000).

“The show has raised a lot of eyebrows in the sportsbook industry. Sports betting website WagerMinds, which is ‘dedicated to changing the sports gambling culture’ and is focused on transparency in the industry, posted an article earlier this summer saying they’ve never heard of Stevens, who runs VIP Sports out of Las Vegas and claims to be winning more than 70% of his picks.

“CNBC, which has made a push into reality programming this year, yanked the ‘Shark Tank’-like ‘Crowd Rules’ in May after just two low-rated outings, including a tiny 47,000 viewers for its premiere telecast.

“The net has fared better with ‘The Profit,’ a business-makeover show in which entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis pumps his own cash into a struggling business in a bid to turn it around.”

Read more here.