What CNBC does

CNBC is a multiplatform business news organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, operating as the flagship brand of Versant Media Group Inc. (NASDAQ: VSNT) following its January 2026 spinoff from NBCUniversal/Comcast. The company delivers real-time market news, business and economic coverage, exclusive executive interviews, and proprietary editorial rankings through a combination of linear television (distributed via Comcast, Charter, DirecTV, Dish), cnbc.com, mobile applications, streaming platforms (including Peacock), podcasts, and live events. Its product portfolio spans premium subscription services (CNBC PRO with stock screener and market forecast tools; CNBC Investing Club featuring Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust portfolio tracking), editorial brands (CNBC Select for consumer financial product recommendations, CNBC Make It for personal finance, CNBC Cures for rare disease coverage), and data products (CNBC Prediction Markets powered by Kalshi, CNBC Family Office Portfolio Tracker powered by Addepar, and annual rankings including Disruptor 50, Elite Advisors, and Global Soccer and WNBA Team Valuations).

The company serves a dual B2B/B2C audience: retail investors, institutional investors, portfolio managers, corporate executives, government officials, and wealth management professionals across the U.S., Asia-Pacific (with regional operations in Singapore, India via CNBC-TV18, CNBC-AWAAZ, and CNBC BAJAR), and Europe. Revenue is generated across five streams: advertising on linear TV and digital platforms (the primary stream), subscription revenue from CNBC PRO and Investing Club, content licensing to third parties, live events (CEO Council Summit, Disruptor 50 summit, CNBC Cures Summit), and data and analytics products. Versant has set a strategic target of generating 33% of revenues from non-pay TV sources within three to five years, signaling a deliberate shift toward digital subscriptions, data products, and diversified monetization.

CNBC's competitive positioning rests on its decades-long trusted brand in financial journalism, exclusive access to senior government and corporate figures, proprietary research products built on third-party data partnerships (Addepar, AccuPoint Solutions, Cerulli Associates, Cboe Global Markets, Kalshi), and multiplatform reach. Following the Versant spinoff, the company is executing an offensive growth strategy under President KC Sullivan, including aggressive hiring (40+ new editorial roles), acquisitions (StockStory for AI-powered financial insights), new product launches, sports content expansion (WNBA, Pro Padel League), APAC digital expansion, and a forthcoming website paywall, while restructuring newsroom operations to unify TV and digital under Editor-in-Chief David Cho.

Name

CNBC

Legal name

Versant Media, LLC

Website

https://cnbc.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CNBC is a multiplatform business news network serving retail and institutional investors, corporate executives, and policymakers globally through linear TV, digital properties, subscription products, and data analytics under Versant Media Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business News Media

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consumer News & Digital Newsrooms (Web/App-First) (MPAJADAD), National General-Entertainment Broadcast Networks (MPABAAAA), Syndication, Licensing & Content Partnerships (Columns, Features, Photos) (MPAJADAI), Finance & Investment Conferences (MPAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Business news media
• Financial journalism
• Market data analytics
• Investment research
• News broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood Cliffs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising: CNBC generates primary revenue through advertising on its linear TV network and digital platforms, including display ads, video ads, sponsored content, and branded content partnerships.
2. Subscription (CNBC PRO): Premium subscription product offering exclusive market analysis, professional trading tools, and ad-free content for professional investors and traders.
3. Content Licensing: Licensing of CNBC editorial content, data, and brand to third-party platforms, international distributors, and corporate partners.
4. Live Events: Revenue from hosted events including the CEO Council Summit, Disruptor 50 summit, CNBC Cures Summit, and other industry conferences.
5. Data and Analytics Products: Revenue from data partnerships and analytics products including the Family Office Portfolio Tracker and other proprietary data offerings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CNBC is a multiplatform business and financial news network that produces and distributes real-time market coverage, business journalism, and proprietary data products across linear television, digital, mobile, podcasts, livestream, and live events. Its commercial offerings include premium subscription products (CNBC PRO), editorial financial product recommendations (CNBC Select), data and analytics products (Family Office Portfolio Tracker, Prediction Markets), a subscription investing community (CNBC Investing Club), and proprietary annual rankings (Disruptor 50, Elite Advisors, sports valuations). Revenue is generated through advertising, subscription fees, content licensing, live events, and data partnerships.

Product overview

CNBC is a multi-platform business news organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of news, analysis, and data products across television, digital, and subscription channels. The core offering centers on financial news coverage via the CNBC.com website and linear television network. The product portfolio includes premium subscription services (CNBC Pro with stock screener and market forecast tools), editorial recommendation products (CNBC Select for consumer financial products), data-driven products (CNBC Prediction Markets powered by Kalshi, CNBC Family Office Portfolio Tracker powered by Addepar), community services (CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer's portfolio tracking), and annual editorial rankings (CNBC Disruptor 50, CNBC Elite Advisors List, CNBC WNBA and Global Soccer Valuations). The company also operates vertical editorial brands including CNBC Make It for personal finance lifestyle content and CNBC Cures for rare disease coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CNBC PRO: Premium subscription service providing professional investors with real-time market data, exclusive analysis, and institutional-level tools
• CNBC Select
• CNBC Make It
• CNBC Disruptor 50
• CNBC Cures
• CNBC Elite Advisors
• CNBC Family Office Portfolio Tracker

Products and services

• CNBC PRO Premium subscription service offering exclusive news, analysis, and market insights for professional investors and traders, including Pro News, Josh Brown's analysis, Mike Santoli's insight, analyst calls of the day, stock screener tools, market forecast surveys, options investing analysis, and premium charting tools.
• CNBC Investing Club Subscription-based investing community featuring Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust portfolio tracking, trade alerts, analysis, educational content, and meeting videos.
• CNBC Select Editorial product providing buying guides and recommendations for consumer financial products including credit cards, insurance, and banking services, targeted at individual consumers.
• CNBC Prediction Markets Market-based forecasting section powered by Kalshi, displaying prediction market contracts on economics, politics, and current events, providing traders and investors probability-based insights on outcomes.
• CNBC Family Office Portfolio Tracker Quarterly tracker powered by Addepar data, aggregating information from hundreds of family offices managing $1.4 trillion in assets to reveal allocation trends across public and private markets. Launched as a partnership product in 2026.
• CNBC Make It Lifestyle and personal finance editorial brand covering career advice, entrepreneurship, and wealth-building strategies for millennials and Gen Z audiences.
• CNBC Disruptor 50 Annual ranking of 50 most disruptive private companies, evaluating scalability, user growth, and sales growth over valuation. For 2026, integrated AI tools including OpenAI's ChatGPT to generate uniqueness scores.
• CNBC Elite Advisors List Annual list recognizing leading investment advisory firms serving ultra-high-net-worth clients with investable assets of $25 million or more, compiled with research partners Cerulli Associates and AccuPoint Solutions.
• CNBC Official Global Soccer Team Valuations Annual ranking of the world's 30 most valuable soccer teams with average value of $2.66 billion, providing team valuations and financial analysis of global football clubs.
• CNBC WNBA Team Valuations Annual valuations of WNBA teams, highlighting that the league's first team reached a valuation of over $1 billion.
• CNBC Cures Rare disease initiative featuring documentaries, an annual summit, and newsletter covering stories of patients and families affected by rare diseases.
• Morning Call CNBC morning program anchored by Morgan Brennan, premiering at 5 a.m. ET, designed to deliver market-moving insights and early morning business analysis to investors and executives before the U.S. trading day begins.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record cable news viewership Q1 2026 with double-digit growth across industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AddeparcoreTechnology or Integration · 13 June 2026CNBC partnered with Addepar to launch the CNBC Family Office Portfolio Tracker, a quarterly product that aggregates data from hundreds of family offices managing $1.4 trillion in assets. The tracker reveals allocation trends across public and private markets, positioning Addepar's analytics as a benchmark for the wealth management industry.
• Versant Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026Versant Media Group (NASDAQ: VSNT), spun off from NBCUniversal in early 2026, is the parent company of CNBC. Versant acquired StockStory, an AI-powered financial insights platform, to enhance CNBC's digital offerings. Versant targets 33% of revenues from non-pay TV sources within three to five years.
• Cboe Global MarketscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026Multi-year collaboration to deliver daily live market coverage from Cboe's Chicago trading floor beginning April 6, 2026. CNBC will establish a permanent broadcast studio on the trading floor, utilize proprietary Cboe data for reporting, and air opening and closing bell ceremonies. Partnership responds to record U.S. options trading volume of 15.2 billion contracts in 2025.
• KalshicoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCNBC has a commercial relationship with Kalshi for prediction markets content on cnbc.com. The prediction markets section is market-based forecasting powered by Kalshi, with CNBC editors independently selecting markets. CNBC may receive a user acquisition fee if visitors establish new Kalshi accounts through CNBC.com links.
• Versant / USA Sports (WNBA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVersant's 11-year media rights agreement with the WNBA includes CNBC simulcasting 11 games this season, with USA Network remaining primary broadcaster airing at least 50 games annually. Part of Versant's strategy to position Monday and Wednesday nights as dedicated windows for women's sports.
• USA Sports / Pro Padel LeagueminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCNBC will broadcast five Pro Padel League matches during its 2026 season, marking the first time the North American padel league will have exclusive national broadcast coverage in the United States. The broadcasts include Sunday championship matches from each of PPL's five events.
• Prediction Market Platforms (Polymarket)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCNBC has partnered with prediction market companies including Polymarket and Kalshi to integrate real-time probability data into news coverage. These partnerships involve integrating prediction market data into news content, driving debate over journalistic ethics and conflicts of interest.
• AccuPoint Solutions and Cerulli AssociatescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCNBC developed the Elite Advisors list in consultation with wealth management research firms AccuPoint Solutions and Cerulli Associates. These firms provided research support for evaluating firms on organizational scalability, AUM, service breadth, professional credentials, and client retention.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Bloomberg: Global financial news, data, and media company with Bloomberg Terminal, Bloomberg Television, and Bloomberg.com. Direct competitor in real-time market news, professional-investor subscriptions, and live market coverage from exchanges.
• Fox Business: U.S. cable business-news network and digital property owned by Fox Corporation. Closest direct linear-TV competitor to CNBC, targeting the same retail-investor and executive audience with similar advertising-supported business model.
• The Wall Street Journal (Dow Jones): Flagship business news publication from News Corp's Dow Jones. Direct competitor in business journalism, premium subscriptions, and authoritative financial news; Ken Brown (CNBC's new digital managing editor) is a former WSJ journalist.
• Reuters: Global news and information services company providing real-time market data, business news, and editorial content. Competes with CNBC across B2B newswires, financial-market reporting, and institutional news consumption.
• Financial Times: International business news organization with premium subscription model. Direct peer in high-end financial journalism, executive audience targeting, and subscription-based business model complementing CNBC PRO.
• Yahoo Finance: Major consumer-facing financial news and market data destination. Competes for retail-investor digital audience, ad-supported page views, and mobile engagement; increasingly overlaps with CNBC PRO on premium market tools.
• MarketWatch: Consumer-focused financial news and market-data site owned by Dow Jones/News Corp. Direct digital competitor for retail-investor readership, market commentary, and personal-finance content adjacent to CNBC Make It.

Emerging players

• The Information: Subscription-based technology and business news startup. Comparable as a digital-native, high-priced subscription model targeting professional readers; CNBC's Ken Brown previously worked there covering AI and finance.
• Seeking Alpha: Crowd-sourced equity research and financial news platform with a premium subscription product. Overlaps with CNBC PRO's retail-investor trading-tools positioning and Investing Club's stock-analysis focus.
• Morning Brew: Digital-native business newsletter and media company targeting younger professional audiences. Comparable to CNBC Make It's millennial lifestyle/finance positioning and represents the digital-first competition for next-generation financial-news readers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cnbc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CNBC
• Facebookfacebook.com/CNBC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cnbc
• Instagraminstagram.com/cnbc
• TikToktiktok.com/@cnbc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CNBC