The problem with CNBC.com's redesign

Henry Blodget writes on Silicon Alley Insider that the redesign of the CNBC web site has one major flaw.

Blodget wrote, “Smaller print, fewer massive Jim Cramer photos, lots of promotion of TV shows (see prior post), and an automated news ticker.  An improvement, we guess, but not an earth-shattering one (via Lost Remote).

“What is really killing CNBC online is the inability to stream every show live.  Most executives (though not all) don’t want or aren’t allowed to have flat-screen TVs hanging in their offices, and the ones on Wall Street trading floors are just eye-candy.  If CNBC were streamed online, however, just about every Wall Street executive would sneak an occasional peak, and some would keep a window permanently open on their screens.

“What is preventing this obvious killer app?  Most likely fear of cannibalization, combined with the network’s agreements with cable companies.  The cannibalization concern could be neutralized if CNBC charged, say, $5 a month for more than, say, 5 minutes a week: Those who could rationalize this modest subscription as a ‘work-related expense’ would pay it.  So it’s probably the cable companies.”

Read more here.