FOX Business Network (FBN) closed out January 2026 securing double-digit wins over CNBC in business day, market hours and total day viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Additionally, Varney & Co. and Kudlow started the year as the top two programs in business news for the fourth year in a row.
Marking nine consecutive months besting CNBC in business day viewers (236,000, a 19% advantage) and 22 months leading total day (138,000 viewers, an 18% advantage), FBN kicked off the year completely dominating the business news competition. Across market hours, the network also notched a 14% advantage (234,000 viewers) over CNBC for the ninth straight month. Notably, January 2026 saw record-highs for FBN in business day and market hours, dating back to December 2022 and October 2022, respectively.
FBN’s three-hour market opener Varney & Co. (9 AM-12 PM/ET; 300,000 viewers) was the number one business news program in January, securing a 24% lead over CNBC’s Squawk on the Street for the 47th month straight. Meanwhile, Larry Kudlow’s eponymous Kudlow (4 PM/ET) followed, outranked CNBC’s Closing Bell with a whopping 62% advantage, drawing 269,000 viewers and marking the program’s 52nd consecutive monthly win.
The pre-market program, Mornings with Maria (6-9 AM/ET) with Maria Bartiromo led CNBC’s Squawk Box by 5% with 115,000 viewers, securing the program’s ninth straight win. Notably, the program outpaced CNBC during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland by 5%. The Big Money Show (12-2 PM/ET) delivered 225,000 viewers, Making Money with Charles Payne (2 PM/ET) saw 200,000 viewers and Liz Claman’s The Claman Countdown (3 PM/ET) secured 201,000 viewers for the month.
During post-market coverage, FBN’s The Evening Edit (5 PM/ET; 198,000 viewers) and The Bottom Line (6 PM/ET; 151,000 viewers) led CNBC’s Fast Money and Mad Money by 25%. On Fridays, Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street (Fridays, 7-7:30 PM/ET) saw 108,000 viewers with a 54% advantage, while Barron’s Roundtable (Fridays, 7:30-8 PM/ET; 82,000 viewers) delivered a 17% advantage over CNBC’s Shark Tank.
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| Ratings Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN |
FBN ended January delivering three of the top 10 cable news programs with affluent audiences among the 25-54 demo. Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street, Barron’s Roundtable and The Evening Edit all secured spots in the top 10 with a median income of $210,100 or more. Varney & Co., Kudlow, The Big Money Show, Kudlow and Mornings with Maria rounded out the top 20 with viewers drawing in $159,700 or more.
Sourcing: Nielsen, Live + SD. Big Data + Panel, Jan’26 (12/29/25-01/23/26). Business Day (M-F 9:30am-5pm), Market Hours (M-F 9am-4pm), M-F Total Day (Based on each network’s Nielsen defined programming day). Business News Ranker M-F 5am-8pm Business Programs (Excludes Specials & Repeats).
Sourcing: Nielsen, Live + SD. Big Data + Panel, Jan’26 (12/29/25-01/23/26). Business Day (M-F 9:30am-5pm), Market Hours (M-F 9am-4pm), M-F Total Day (Based on each network’s Nielsen defined programming day). Business News Ranker M-F 5am-8pm Business Programs (Excludes Specials & Repeats).