The Daily Beast’s Peter Lauria writes about the 25 most valuable cable networks, and three news channels made the list. Data for the story came from SNL Kagan.
The top ranked news network on the list was Fox News Channel, which Lauria says is the fourth most valuable channel in cable, behind only ESPN, Nickelodeon and TNT. 2010 revenues are estimated to be $1.5 billion, with the network worth an estimated $11.4 billion.
CNN is 12th overall, with 2010 revenues estimated to be around $1.2 billion, and a total value of $6.1 billion.
CNBC was ranked 15th, with 2010 revenues estimated to be around $715 million, and a total value of $4.4 billion.
Why would CNN and CNBC make the cut while MSNBC does not? The “value” of a network is dependent on a number of factors, including ratings, but also the network’s carriage fee, brand equity and alternative revenue streams.