Advanced Television

Bad news is good news

August 16, 2011

By Chris Forrester

The recent slew of bad financial news on TV has seen a major surge in television ratings, especially in the US.  All three US financial networks (Bloomberg, Fox Business and CNBC) have gained significant numbers of viewers during the working day, always a sure sign that Wall Street’s financial types – and those at home – are tuning in.
During the first two weeks of August, traditionally an extremely slow news period, CNBC gained about 150,000 extra viewers (as measured by Nielsen), sharply up at 378,000 at-home viewers compared to a more normal 224,000 a month earlier. Fox News’ business channel saw similar percentage gains, up from a usual 76,000 to an average 107,000. Bloomberg is not officially rated, but New York sources say it enjoyed a similar surge during the period.

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