Exclusive: Fox Business Network was the top-rated business channel on election night, according to ratings obtained by TVNewser.
Given that the 2010 election has been seen as a referendum on the economy more than just about any other issue, the performance of the business networks Tuesday is of particular interest.
FBN topped CNBC in both total viewers and the adults 25-54 demo every hour from 8 PM to 1 AM, in some cases more than doubling CNBC’s ratings. CNBC was able to top FBN in the demo during the 7 PM hour.
FBN peaked at 10 PM ET, when it had 328,000 total viewers and 138,000 demo viewers, compared to 157,000 total viewers and 60,000 demo viewers on CNBC.
Of course, the ratings for the business networks pale in comparison to the general cable news channels and the broadcasters, but that is not surprising, given their niche focus.
The full numbers are after the jump.
7PM
FBN: 171k total viewers/52k demo viewers
CNBC: 158k total viewers/65k demo viewers
8 PM
FBN: 249k total viewers/82k demo viewers
CNBC: 184k total viewers/68k demo viewers
9 PM
FBN: 260k total viewers/102k demo viewers
CNBC: 172k total viewers/61k demo viewers
10 PM
FBN: 328k total viewers/138k demo viewers
CNBC: 157k total viewers/60k demo viewers
11 PM
FBN: 305k total viewers/ 114k demo viewers
CNBC 132k total viewers/43k demo viewers
12 AM
FBN: 184k total viewers/58k demo viewers
CNBC: 85k total viewers/37k demo viewers
While these numbers are a big deal for the network, a ratings insider tells TVNewser that Neil Cavuto and company have topped CNBC other times this year. FBN does not subscribe to Nielsen ratings reports, so its daily ratings are not made public.