CNN Similar Companies, Competitors and Alternatives In 2023

The Cable News Network (CNN) has transformed in many ways over the years. For one, it has barely remained an old cable news channel anymore. It requires an exclusive cable subscription to watch. For another, its parent company, CNN Global, has changed hands quite a few times in the past, but not in the way you think. The main company kept merging with other firms as CNN was passed from one hand to another, like some billion-dollar game of Hot Potato. The game began with the Turner Broadcasting System in 1980 and ended with Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022.

Indeed, CNN is a happening place, and even its news pieces are interesting and often intriguing. Did you know that it was the first channel of its kind in the US to provide all-news coverage when it was launched in 1980? It was also the only channel that showed you the news 24/7. CNN is a company of firsts, just like Nike, where innovation in footwear happens quite often. Beyond the US and Canada, CNN is telecast by its international division, CNN International.

Name	CNN
Founded	1980
Headquarters	Atlanta, GA, US
SIC Code	4841
Status	Subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery
Industry Sector	Media
Employees	4000
Trading Symbol	N/A

How CNN makes Money

CNN has quite a few good revenue streams under its belt. But its primary sources of income are subscription fees and advertisements. Did you know that the subscription fees account for over 50 percent of CNN’s total revenue of $1.7 billion? Whenever someone with a TV subscribes to cable, the cable network gives a considerable part of the fees to CNN. That is because it is quite likely that the person has subscribed to cable for watching CNN. Its advertisement earnings also chip in a heavy contribution.

Media

CNN has its hands full of almost all kinds of news coverage in the media industry. Its primary source of income is, of course, the cable news channel, closely followed by digital media. Did you know that over 97% of US households with cable have subscribed to CNN? It often features in the top 10 of basic cable network ranking, except in 2021, when it slid down to the 11th spot. On a global scale, CNN is broadcast in more than 200 countries!

Companies Similar to CNN

In the first quarter of 2023 in prime time, CNN’s viewership was approximately 857,000, a whopping 56% drop. If you were among that 56% of people who have stopped watching CNN, then you will be looking for alternatives to the same. Take a careful look at the following top 5 competitors in the news media industry before settling for one.

Competitors to CNN

The biggest rivals to CNN are Fox News, MSNBC, CBS News, CNBC, and ABC News. While MSNBC and CNBC are owned by the same company, NBCUniversal, they have different target audiences, hence the separate inclusion. Now let’s discuss CNN’s similar companies in more detail.

Fox News

The Fox News Channel is a subsidiary of Fox News Media, which is again a subsidiary of the Fox Corporation. Fox News was favored by many people when it was launched in 1996 due to its conservative take on the news, and despite the recent controversies and allegations surrounding the company, it continues to do great business. It is among the top-rated news channels in the world, often featured alongside the likes of BBC and ITV.

Media

Apart from CNN, there are a number of other Fox News competitors since it is a top-notch news channel. Let us try to understand why it is one of the leading channels in the media industry. Over 90% of TV subscribers watch Fox News according to a survey conducted in 2018. A year later, its viewership grew to over 2.5 million subscribers. There have been several allegations of biased reporting by Fox News in the past, but the company has denied those time and again, bravely carrying on with reporting the news that matters.

Annual Revenue	Funding	Headquarters	Employees
$12.3B	$1.2B	New York City, NY	2730

MSNBC

MSNBC is the apple of NBCUniversal’s eye. It is a pay-to-watch cable news channel that provides coverage of NBC News too. Headquartered in New York City, MSNBC was established in 1996, at around the same time as the launch of its rival company Fox News. But unlike Fox News, MSNBC’s official website was also launched alongside, which gave the channel a definite edge. Since MSNBC is broadcasted only in the US and Canada, it doesn’t directly compete with the international divisions of CNN and Fox News.

Media

MSNBC’s statistics in the media industry are comparable to those of CNN. A 2018 report showed that over 87 million households in the US watched MSNBC on a regular basis. It also ranked ahead of CNN in the 2019 rankings of basic cable news networks, proudly holding the second spot. Its viewership in 2022 averaged a total of more than 1.2 million subscribers. And when it comes to important political news and announcements, US residents are known to prefer MSNBC over CNN and Fox News.

Annual Revenue	Funding	Headquarters	Employees
$1.1B	Undisclosed	New York City, NY	950

CBS News

CBS is a major American TV broadcaster, with critically acclaimed shows like The Twilight Zone, Criminal Minds, NCIS, etc. CBS News is the news broadcasting division of the platform. On TV, CBS News has different news programs and doesn’t particularly have 24-hour news coverage like CNN. But the CBS News Streaming Network available on digital platforms streams news 24/7. However, it doesn’t stream all kinds of content like YouTube, only news broadcasts.

Media

CBS News has been active in the media industry since 1927, making it the oldest news channel on this list. The company is currently owned by Paramount Global, the entertainment giant which is also prominent in the mass media sector. The CBS Evening News continues to be one of the most-watched news programs in the US in 2023, with an average viewership of over 5 million. The other programs on CBS News include CBS Mornings, 48 Hours, and Face the Nation.

Annual Revenue	Funding	Headquarters	Employees
$750M	Undisclosed	New York City, NY	232

CNBC

CNBC is the business news division of NBCUniversal, which is again a subsidiary of the telecommunications giant, Comcast. While its sister company, MSNBC, only serves the US and Canada, CNBC is broadcast in many other parts of the world. However, it isn’t a 24/7 news channel like CNN. It provides news coverage only on business days, broadcasting self-produced documentaries and reality shows on weekends and holidays.

Media / Business

Did you know that CNBC wasn’t originally in the media or business industry? It started off as an entertainment channel called Satellite Program Network. After another name change a few years later, it finally settled for Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) in 1989 while also changing the content broadcast to business news. These days, around 80% of the US households with TV have subscribed to CNBC, and its digital platform has nearly 85 million unique visitors every month.

Annual Revenue	Funding	Headquarters	Employees
$76M	Undisclosed	Englewood Cliffs, NJ	2600

ABC News

ABC is a part of the Big Three in the American TV channel industry, with first-rate shows like Lost, Castle, Jimmy Kimmel Live, etc. And ABC News is its news broadcasting division. Unlike CNN, ABC News doesn’t provide 24-hour news coverage. It broadcasts various different news-related programs, the most popular one being ABC World News Tonight with David Muir. The channel was established in 1945, and it broadcasts its programs all over the world.

Media

If you consider the media industry statistics only for the US, then ABC News ranks much higher than CNN. In fact, it is the second most-watched news channel in the country, with over 8.2 million viewers in 2022. It also boasts of the highest number of adult viewers (over 1.4 million). And did you know that its global arm, ABC International, has crossed 11 million monthly viewers? Apart from the ABC News TV channel, it also has a radio broadcast network and a digital news website.

Annual Revenue	Funding	Headquarters	Employees
$560M	Undisclosed	New York City, NY	8000

Conclusion

CNN’s biggest competitor is Fox News. Typically, the race between CNN and MSNBC is closer, for Fox News runs much too ahead of either in 2023. However, the competition here isn’t like Samsung’s competitors, which are more or less at the same level on an international scale. Since MSNBC doesn’t have an international arm like CNN, the latter’s biggest competitor remains Fox News, considering the overall statistics. As mentioned earlier, CNN’s ratings have dropped considerably in recent years, so it has a lot of catching up to do.