CNBC

CNBC launched on April 17, 1989; its name originally stood for Consumer News and Business Channel. NBC’s then-president Bob Wright called it “the most significant programming effort NBC has ever undertaken outside of the network.” At launch its chief rival was the Financial News Network (FNN), which had debuted eight years earlier.⁠[1][1][1][1]

CNBC’s parent NBC won the right to buy FNN after a three-month bidding contest against a partnership of Dow Jones and Westinghouse Broadcasting. CNBC completed the $154.3 million purchase, promptly merged the operations and shut down FNN, and hired about 60 FNN staff. The merged channel’s reach grew from 18 million to more than 40 million cable subscribers, and it was carried in New York City, where it had previously been shut out; CNBC then operated from Fort Lee, New Jersey.⁠[2][2][2][2][2][2]

CNBC commentator Rick Santelli criticized the Obama administration’s stimulus plan on air as rewarding people who bought houses they could not afford, and the video was seen by millions of people online. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was eager to take on Santelli, and Obama himself repeatedly complained that the plan got lost in “cable chatter.” Gibbs later said the White House was not singling out any network or show.⁠[3][3][3][3]

Jon Stewart, host of the comedy program The Daily Show, confronted CNBC’s Mad Money host Jim Cramer face to face on his show. Stewart criticized Cramer and CNBC for not accurately predicting the financial meltdown, aired clips of Cramer discussing the markets in 2006, and said that CNBC, as a financial network, knew what was going on but pretended it was not. Cramer replied that he and CNBC’s reporters “try really hard to report the news,” admitted he “should do a better job at it,” and said he was doing an entertainment show about business.⁠[4][4][4][4][4]

The Republican presidential debate CNBC hosted in October 2015 drew 14 million viewers, the network’s highest audience ever, but CNBC was lambasted by Republicans for bias and unfairness, and many in the media said the moderators mismanaged the debate. CNBC responded that people who want to be president should be able to answer tough questions; spokesperson Brian Steel said CNBC would still seek to host future presidential debates, as candidates should face substantive questions on interest rates, Social Security, the debt limit, student loans and taxes.⁠[5][5][5][5][5]

Comcast announced a plan to spin off most of NBCUniversal’s cable networks except Bravo, including MSNBC, CNBC and USA Network, into a new company owned by Comcast shareholders, structured as a tax-free spin-off and led by NBCUniversal Media Group chairman Mark Lazarus as CEO.⁠[6][6][6][6]

CNBC launched the subscription streaming service CNBC+ at $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, aimed at viewers who watch the channel outside the home; the service offers no new programs beyond those on the cable network and its overseas counterparts.⁠[7][7]

Mark Lazarus announced in a memo that CNBC would retain its name, since it stands for Consumer News and Business Channel, but would get a new logo; he said the peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal and would stay within the NBCU family, giving the spun-off company the opportunity to build independent brands and an independent news organization.⁠[8][8][8]

From December 13, 2025, CNBC rolled out a new logo across all its platforms, dropping the NBC peacock it had used since the mid-1990s in favor of a design by one of the network’s senior designers incorporating the arrow symbol it uses to indicate market moves. CNBC president KC Sullivan said the logo was a symbol of the direction the network is headed.⁠[9][9][9][9]

On January 2, 2026, Versant Media Group completed its separation from Comcast and became a standalone publicly traded company, with its Class A shares trading on Nasdaq under the ticker VSNT; CNBC belongs to Versant along with MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel and others. Versant’s use of the CNBC brand is subject to a trademark license agreement with Comcast with an initial term of five years.⁠[10][10][10][10]

CNBC offers business and personal finance news centered on real-time financial market coverage and analysis, with franchises including Squawk Box, Squawk on the Street, Closing Bell and Mad Money. Beyond distribution through cable and streaming TV providers, CNBC runs direct-to-consumer subscription services, podcasts, conferences and live events. As of December 31, 2025, CNBC reached about 59 million U.S. households.⁠[10][10][10]

CNBC: Official website: https://www.cnbc.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[11]

X: Public account: https://x.com/CNBC (opens in a new window)⁠[11]