Fox Business Network posts back-to-back yearly wins over CNBC in Business Day viewers

“Lou Dobbs Tonight” was the year’s top rated program in business television among total viewers.

Fox Business Network finished 2018 with its second straight yearly win over CNBC in Business Day viewers, landing its highest rated year ever across Business Day and Total Day viewers in the process.

FBN averaged 214,000 viewers during Business Day hours of 9:30 a.m. ET through 5 p.m. ET, while CNBC averaged 175,000. The revamped FBN delivered five of the six top rated programs of the year in all of business television, including “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” which was the year’s top rated program in business television among total viewers.

“Throughout this past year, Fox Business has once again provided viewers exceptional analysis and insight on how tax, trade, and economic policy impact their families and wallets. With headline-making journalists covering the longest bull market in history, ongoing international trade discussions, and breaking financial news, the experienced anchors, reporters and producers at FBN continued to prove their dominance in the business television landscape,” Fox Business Network president Brian Jones said in a statement.

“Varney & Co,” “Countdown to the Closing Bell with Liz Claman,” “After the Bell” and “CAVUTO Coast to Coast” joined Dobbs among the most-watched programs in the genre.

FBN’s pre-market and market close coverage all saw program highs for their timeslots, with “Mornings with Maria” picking up its first yearly win over CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

As FBN thrived, CNBC recorded its second lowest rated year in the past 25 years with the key demo of adults age 25-54. FBN launched an expanded lineup on Oct. 15, including “Trish Regan Primetime,” and the result has been overwhelming.

Regan’s show is up 56 percent compared to the previous 8 p.m. hour of FBN, while “Kennedy's” move to 9 p.m. ET has also brought double-digit gains.

Fox Business’ sister, Fox News, also had a strong 2018. FNC finished 2018 as the most-watched basic cable network for the third consecutive year among both primetime and total day viewers.

“Hannity” finished 2018 as the most-watched cable news program, averaging 3.3 million viewers. MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” averaged 2.9 million to finish second, while Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” “The Ingraham Angle,” “The Five” and “Special Report with Bret Baier” made up the six most-watched news programs.

All stats are courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.