CNBC launches premium streaming offering

CNBC has started collecting signups for its standalone streaming service CNBC+.

The service, which was first reported back in mid-December 2024, sells for $14.99 a month and is also available bundled with some of the network’s other digital subscription offerings.

CNBC+ will not offer unique programming, but will instead focus on providing a global livestream of the network’s financial news reporting that is designed to allow viewers to access current news from active markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

The network is also framing CNBC+ as only offering its “business day” coverage, so primetime, overnight and weekend programming such as “Dateline” and “Shark Tank” repeats will not be included.

CNBC is also giving its paid subscribers the ability to toggle between its global livestream and a “Market Data Stream” that includes a live video pane with an L-bar layout with its own version of the network’s iconic ticker.

In preview screenshots of this view, the network appears to be streaming a ticker-less feed that still contains its non-realtime data lower third banners, with the ticker moving to the lower part of the L-bar that is supplemented with additional panes featuring market indices and additional content such as a headline rundown. This allows the network to insert “corresponding real-time data as anchors and guests share their opinions and analysis.”

In addition to the live content, CNBC is also offering on-demand access to an “expanded” library of business day programming. 

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CNBC+ is powered by Piano, formerly known as Tinypass, an experience cloud platform provider that also works with media outlets such as the BBC, The Wall Street Journal and The Telegraph to deliver digital experiences.

In addition to its base package, CNBC+ is also offered as part of two other bundled offerings from the network — its “All Access” and “Pro” plans.

The All Access package includes a variety of tools for investors and finance professionals to track and chart data, access expert advice and stock picks and more, including premium content branded under CNBC personality Jim Cramer’s name. This offering is sold for $599.99 a year.

Pro, meanwhile, doesn’t include the Cramer content and costs $34.99 a month or $299.99 a year. CNBC also sells an “Investing Club” tier that only provides access to Cramer’s content, while a free account allows users to build watchlists and use advanced charting tools but does not include any live video content unless the user also has a valid login with a participating pay TV provider.

CNBC+ is initially available on cnbc.com and via its iOS and Android apps. The service does not include a free trial.

CNBC+ builds upon the network’s moves into subscription-based digital content that is likely to become an increasingly key part of its business model as pay TV package numbers continue to drop. These offerings, and especially CNBC+, allow the network to collect revenue directly from consumers by eliminating the need for a pay TV provider.

This model is reflective of the overall changes in the pay TV industry, which has triggered alarming losses in linear TV viewers paying for the privilege of watching networks. Cable networks like CNBC once made a significant portion of their revenue from carriage fees billed to pay TV providers that were then, in turn, passed along to subscribers. As more and more users cancel linear TV packages in favor of streaming, networks have seen their fortunes change.

Those changes have been so drastic that NBCUniversal previously announced plans to spin-off most of its cable TV properties into a separate company sometime in 2025. CNBC is included in these plans, along with networks such as MSNBC, USA, Oxygen, E!, Syfy and Golf Channel.