Examining the business of CNBC

John Koblin of the New York Times writes about CNBC‘s business in anticipation of its expected high ratings for Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate on the business news network.

Koblin writes, “Last year, CNBC had an average audience of 131,000 viewers, including on weekends, when it runs paid programming, down about half from its numbers in the throes of the 2008 financial crisis, according to Nielsen. (It did increase viewers from 2013 to 2014.)

“That may have been, in part, why the network announced last year that it would no longer use Nielsen ratings for its daytime hours. The network contends that its affluent audience cannot be tracked by Nielsen’s household set meters; Brian Steel, a network spokesman, pointed to ‘trading floors, hotel rooms, corporate suites, restaurants and country clubs’ as places where viewers watch.

“Any ratings change has not affected CNBC’s revenue. The channel receives about 39 cents per subscriber, up from the 25 cents it was getting a decade ago, according to the financial research firm SNL Kagan. The network will also take in an estimated $220 million in advertising revenue this year, its highest total in three years, the firm says. Additionally, programming such as ‘Shark Tank’ reruns and original shows like ‘The Profit’ and ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’ have led to ratings growth in CNBC’s once dormant prime-time lineup.”

Read more here.