Fox Business Network will add two news shows to its daily programming lineup, including a new financial news show hosted by former Bloomberg TV personality Taylor Riggs.

Beginning January 23, Riggs will host weekday seriesThe Big Money Show alongside Fox Business contributors Brian Brenberg and Jackie DeAngelis, according to network officials. The series will feature breaking financial news and analysis, with the trio tackling the day’s top financial stories from all angles, according to network officials.

Also launching on January 23 is The Bottom Line, a weeknight series hosted by Dagen McDowell and Sean Duffy that looks to follow hotly debated issues in the business and political world, according to FBN.

Also: Five Spot: The Five Spot: Lauren Petterson, President, Fox Business Network

“Fox Business has become the channel America turns to for their business news and we’re excited to debut new programming tailored to key financial issues impacting homes across the county,” said FBN President Lauren Petterson in a statement. “We are also thrilled to welcome Taylor Riggs to the Fox Business family, who, along with Brian, Jackie, Dagen and Sean, will add a new dimension to our formidable programming lineup.”■

Premiering April 27 are a pair of shows about unique homes on Fox Business Network. Luxury real estate show Mansion Global is hosted by Kacie McDonnell, and American Dream Home is hosted by Cheryl Casone. 

Mansion Global airs at 8 and 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesdays on Fox Business. It is a partner of Dow Jones product Mansion Global. Fox Business calls it an “insider’s look at the latest extravagant listings in markets across the country. Spotlighting real estate’s record setting prices, modern masterpieces and the most sought-after properties on the market, McDonnell will take viewers on another trip to the most lavish, and at times outlandish, estates across the country in this all-new season.”

American Dream Home “shares the emotional and heartwarming stories of families’ achieving their American dream and finding their forever home,” said Fox Business. 

Episodes run 9 and 9:30 p.m. ET. 

The new season offers themed episodes under the rubric of Beach Life and Gone Country.

Both shows are part of the FBN Prime lineup. The second season of FBN Prime began April 25. ■

The second season of Fox Business Network programming slate FBN Prime premieres Monday, April 25. The lineup includes How America Works with Mike Rowe, American Built, hosted by Stuart Varney, Mansion Global, hosted by Kacie McDonnell and American Dream Home, hosted by Cheryl Casone. 

New shows include My Dream Car!, hosted by Danielle Trotta, Billion Dollar Idea with Ben Weiss, and Legends & Lies, narrated by Kelsey Grammer. 

Premiering April 28, Legends & Lies uses dramatic recreations to re-examine stories about America’s founding, the Wild West and the Civil War. Grammer of course portrayed Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier.

“We’re thrilled to debut an all-new season of FBN Prime, showcasing the many inspirational stories behind some of America’s most successful businesses and innovations,” said Lauren Petterson, Fox Business president. 

Rowe is host, narrator and executive producer on How America Works, which offers “an in-depth look at the skilled workforce across the country and the complicated systems that keep our infrastructure operational,” according to Fox Business. It starts April 25. 

Trotta, host of My Dream Car!, is a former Fox Sports and NASCAR reporter. The show begins April 25. 

American Built sees Varney look into the design and creativity of iconic American landmarks. It premieres April 26. 

Weiss founded the beverage brands Bai and Crook & Marker. Billion Dollar Idea sees 15 entrepreneurs compete head to head. It is on April 26. 

Mansion Global focuses on luxury real estate. American Dream Home shares “the emotional and heartwarming stories of families’ achieving their American dream and finding their forever home,” said Fox Business. Both shows premiere April 27. ■

Fox Business Network will alter its primetime programming lineup in September to include news shows hosted by several of the network’s on-air personalities.

The new lineup, which will air under the umbrella FBN Prime moniker, debuts Sept. 20 with new weekly shows including How America Works, narrated by Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs), that focuses on individuals that work around the clock to keep our infrastructure in working order; and American Built, hosted by Stuart Varney, that follows the Varney & Co. host as he interviews renowned architects, engineers and historians about engineering marvels.

Tuesdays beginning Sept. 21 will feature American Dream Home, hosted by Cheryl Casone as she follows families as they hunt for the perfect house while sharing emotional journeys to their forever home. Also debuting is Manson Global, hosted by Kacie McDonnell, that explores the most lavish properties in the country. 

Debuting Wednesday, Sept. 22, is American Gold: The Legend of Bear Gulch, featuring the Dale brothers as they attempt to mine 800 acres of previously unworked land for gold in Montana, as well as The Pursuit! With John Rich, featuring in-depth interviews with music stars, celebrities and entrepreneurs.

On Thursdays Fox Business will air encore episodes from its FBN Prime shows, said network officials. The network will retain its current Friday night programming, including shows Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street, WSJ @ Large with Gerry Baker, and Barron’s Roundtable.

Current primetime series Kennedy will move to 7 PM Monday through Thursdays.

“We are thrilled to introduce a new engaging and inspirational primetime lineup focused on success stories across key American industries to our loyal viewers,” said network president Lauren Petterson in a statement. 

Read Also: Weekly Cable Ratings: Fox News Outdistances Olympics-Charged USA Network

Be afraid of Disney Plus. Be very afraid.

That was the essential takeaway from Marc Randolph, the co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, who told Fox Business Tuesday that rival streaming services should be “scared” of the Disney subscription services “impressive" growth. 

“I’m really impressed with what Disney has done so far. I mean, what are they, 16 months in,  and they've just exceeded 100 million subscribers,” Randolph said. “It's extremely impressive. And even more impressive is the velocity. At their investor day, which was not too long ago, they had 86 million. So 14 million subscribers. It took Netflix 10 years to get their first 14 million subscribers. And Disney's done it in just over two months.

In February, Disney revealed that it has around 146 million subscribers when totals for ESPN Plus and Hulu are cumed with Disney Plus. This elicited talk about Disney being the one true rival to Netflix—the only company that’s in “shouting distance” to the 200 million-plus scale of the No. 1 subscription service. 

For his part, Randolph believes Disney Plus still has a long way to go to catch Netflix, impressive start or no. 

“The one big difference, of course, is that approximately a third of Disney subscribers are in a single country,” Randolph said. “It's the Hot Star in India. And even if you look out at where the forecast goes three years from now, they show that Disney is going to be larger than Netflix in one country, India. But Netflix will still be larger than India in another 195 countries. So this is not quite the way it sounds in the report. And of course, fundamentally, the most important thing that Disney has to do is demonstrate that they can make money from their subscribers. You know, as we've mentioned before, that right now about a $4 average revenue per user and Netflix is just about $10. It'll take a while for them to bring those numbers up.”

Randolph was Netflix’s first CEO when it launched in 1998 as a DVD-rental-by-mail startup. He ceded the chief executive post to Reed Hastings in 1999 and turned his attention to product development. 

Lou Dobbs, perhaps the Fox News empire’s most avid supporter of former President Donald Trump and his false accusations that the result of the 2020 Presidential election was bogus, is getting cancelled by Fox.

Friday night’s episode of Dobbs' highly rated 5 p.m. Fox Business show, Lou Dobbs Tonight, will be the last one, as first reported by The Los Angeles Times.

And Dobbs wasn't there for the last episode of his show, either. Starting next week, the show will be rebranded Fox Business Tonight. Jackie DeAngelis and David Asman, who filled in for Dobbs on Friday, will be the permanent rotating hosts. 

Dobbs remains under contract with the network but he likely won't return to any of its shows. 

“As we said in October, Fox News Media regularly considers programming changes and plans have been in place to launch new formats as appropriate post-election, including on FOX Business--this is part of those planned changes. A new 5 p.m. program will be announced in the near future," the network said in a statement.

Dobbs, 75, has emerged as perhaps Fox's most sycophantic supporter of the former president. And his show, which re-aired each weeknight at 7 p.m., was by far the highest rated in the Fox Business lineup. 

But the specter of expensive legal settlements with several voting technology companies, implicated in Fox's coverage of Trump's bogus-election claims, looms large. 

On Thursday, Fox was hit with a $2.7 billion defamation suit from voting technology company Smartmatic, which claims that Dobbs and other Fox hosts defamed the company while supporting Trump's theories that the election was rigged.  

“Fox News engaged in a conspiracy to spread disinformation about Smartmatic. They lied, and they did so knowingly and intentionally. Smartmatic seeks to hold them accountable for those lies,” said Smartmatic’s attorney J. Erik Connolly of Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, LLP, in announcing the suit.

The suit claims that Fox made over 100 false statements and implications to the effect that Smartmatic had stolen the 2020 election, when that was false. Smartmatic also said that it had only provided election services and technology to Los Angeles county (a state Trump lost by over 5 million votes).

In addition to Dobbs and Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, other Fox personalities, Jeanine Pirro and Maria Bartiromo, are also named in the lawsuit. 

Fox Business Network is joining Fox News in providing special coverage of the Georgia Senate run-off election Tuesday night (Jan. 5).

Also Read: Fox News to Blanket Run-off

The outcome will determine control of the Senate and whether the Democrats control all the levers with which to execute on President-elect Joe Biden's agenda.

FBN coverage will begin at 6-7 p.m. with an extended version of Lou Dobbs Tonight, then continue at 7 p.m. with a prime time special, FOX Business Presents Battle for America: Senate Showdown, anchored by SVP and managing editor of business news Neil Cavuto.

The special will feature a rotating panel of analysts/experts including Dobbs, Charles Payne, Elizabeth MacDonald, Lisa "Kennedy" Montgomery and Gerry Baker.

Maria Bartiromo, host of Mornings with Maria on Fox Business Network, marked 25 years on the air by ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Aug. 4. 

Bartiromo also hosts weekly programs Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street on Fox Business and Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News Channel. 

She called the New York Stock Exchange in 1995 “a sea of suits, all men.” That first time on the floor, for CNBC, was “scary,” she said. 

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Bartiromo added. “There was a fair amount of people who didn’t want me there.”

She described men yelling at her and ramming into her when she was on the air. “I earned my seat at the table--nobody gave it to me,” she said. “I had to deal with ignorance from time to time, people who did not understand what we were doing. I kept going back. I made sure I owned that job and knew my stuff and [detractors] didn’t have anything on me.” 

Bartiromo said she developed sharp elbows down on the floor. Over time, she was welcomed by the traders. “There’s amazing camaraderie down there and I was honored to be a part of it,” she said, mentioning the tradition of someone sneaking a ball and chain onto the ankle of a person about to get married, which a trader did to Bartiromo prior to her marriage.

She said the Exchange is a different place for women these days--way fewer traders, even pre-COVID, and a more welcoming environment. “Women don’t face the issues I faced, I don’t think,” she said. 

Bartiromo works from home amidst COVID-19. She said most every guest she reaches out to to be on the show is home as well, which has meant better guests for Mornings with Maria. “Guests have been off-the-charts phenomenal,” she said. 

In terms of what stands out in her mind across 25 years on the air, Bartiromo mentioned Sept. 11, when she saw the first plane crash into the World Trade Center from her office, ran outside, and saw the second plane smash into the skyscraper too. She stayed at the Exchange all day, then walked up to 14 Street and took the subway home, only to recall it was her birthday. 

Bartiromo also mentioned the Exchange reopening Sept. 17. Bob Wright, former NBC CEO, called and told her, “Maria, remember--the world is watching you today,” she said. 

She got on the floor and prepared to work. She saw politicians, firefighters and other first responders preparing to ring the opening bell. 

“I remember thinking, we are down but we are not out,” said Bartiromo. “We have been hit but we will rise again and we’ll rise again together. It was so empowering to watch that."

Fox Corp. and the National Cable Television Cooperative, a consortium of more than 700 small and medium-sized cable operators across the country, are headed for a showdown in the New Year, as carriage agreements for a handful of networks, including Fox News Channel and Fox Sports are set to expire Dec. 31.

In addition to FNC, cable networks FS1, Fox Deportes, Fox Business Network, FS2 and Fox Soccer Plus are all up for renewal. At the heart of the impasse are rate increases that the NCTC claims in some cases are in excess of 200%, or more than ten times the current rate of inflation.

Carriage negotiations on the whole are rarely smooth sailing, especially in the past few years. But as viewing habits have changed and more networks are streamed over the internet directly to consumers, viewers have more options to access programming.

NCTC president Rich Fickle said his members are aware of the viewing alternatives, but still want to reach a deal.

“We’re not done negotiating,” Fickle said in an interview. “There is a good chance to get this done.”

Several Fox owned and operated television stations are also coming up for renewal at the end of he year for NCTC members, but the programmer is not allowing the co-op to negotiate on their behalf, something the organization has done for its members in other retrans deals on many occasions. For the Fox stations, the operators will have to negotiate on their own.  

According to people familiar with the situation, Fox’s terms are in line with what other distributors and cooperatives pay. They claim the NCTC is asking for terms that the programmer is simply unable to provide.

Fox News has pushed through big increases in the past — NCTC estimates that increases have averaged about 20% per year since 2004 — but this time is different.

Fickle claims that the new rates Fox News is proposing significantly widens the gap between what rural operators and distributors in larger areas pay for the network.

“The gap is three times larger than what [NCTC members] normally pay,” Fickle said.

He added that Fox may be trying to regain some of the leverage it lost earlier this year when it sold the bulk of its cable channels to The Walt Disney Co., by tying FNC carriage to its sports channels FS1 and FS2.

“This is not something we are instigating,” Fickle said. “They [Fox] are trying to get as much leverage as they can.”

Fickle likened on the tough tactics Fox is using to muscle in big increases to distributors in the heartland, the areas that helped build Fox News into the ratings power it is today, to “kicking a wasp nest.”

“These are small, rural companies,” Fickle said of the NCTC membership, which represent about 3 million subscribers. “It’s not like they are going after large entities. We want to carry these channels.”

In a statement on its website www.keepfoxnewsandsports.com Fox said it is only trying to reach a fair agreement.

“We are disappointed that the NCTC appears to be putting its own business objectives ahead of the needs of its members and their respective customers,” Fox said. “Our priority is to reach a fair agreement with our valued partners without carriage disruption, which is why we offered each participating NCTC cable company at risk of losing FOX networks a short-term direct agreement to carry our networks without interruption. However, the NCTC has directed its members not to talk with Fox in a misguided attempt to fabricate an avoidable crisis.”

Cox Communications said it has reached a long-term carriage deal with Fox Corp. that covers its broadcast stations and its news and sports networks.

According to the deal, terms of which were not disclosed, Cox will carry Fox’s owned and operated television stations in its territories, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, sports channels FS1 and FS2, Big Ten Network and Fox Deportes.

“This renewal extends the productive partnership we’ve long had with Cox and ensures that millions of our viewers across the country will continue to enjoy Fox’s leading sports, entertainment and news programming for years to come,” Fox president of operations and distribution Michael Biard said in a press release. 

Cable industry veteran Jason Klarman has been named executive vice president of marketing for Fox News Media, the company said Monday.

In his new position, Klarman will oversee brand strategy for Fox News Media, which includes Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox News Digital, streaming service Fox Nation, Fox News Radio, Fox News Headlines 24/7 and Fox News podcasts, said the company.

Most recently, Mr. Klarman served as president of media consulting company Hashtag Media Ideas. Prior to that, he was the Chief Marketing Officer for Fullscreen Media.

Klarman, who was part of the team that launched Fox News in 1996, has served as a consultant to Fox News Media since 2018 and helped launch the network’s direct to consumer service Fox Nation.

“After welcoming Jason back into the Fox News fold last year to launch Fox Nation, he made an immediate and substantial impact across all of our businesses with his strategic approach to branding and wowed us with his creativity in the process,” said Suzanne Scott, Fox News Media CEO in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be collaborating with him once again.”

ESPN rode its College Football Playoffs championship game coverage back to the top primetime ratings spot among cable networks last week, according to Nielsen.

ESPN averaged 4.1 million viewers to top all cable networks for the week of Jan. 11 to Jan. 17, besting last week's winner Fox News’ 2.0 million viewers, and HGTV and Disney’s 1.6 million watchers each, said Nielsen. TBS, TNT and Discovery all tied for fifth with 1.4 million viewers, while USA and Fox Business Network (tied with 1.3 million) and History (1.2 million) rounded out the top 10.

ESPN also swept all other major weekly ratings categories, including total day and adults 18-49. Nickelodeon was the top choice among kids 2 to 11 while Disney was tops among the 6 to 11 age group.

Most Watched Cable Shows During the Week of Jan. 11-17

Date      Show                                                                                                     Network              Total Viewers

1/11       CFP Title game Alabama/Clemson (8:27-11:45 pm)                                    ESPN                     25.6 million

1/11       CFP Title game Alabama/Clemson (11:45-12:27 am)                                  ESPN                     23.6 million

1/14       Republican Presidential Debate                                                                FBN                        11.0 million

1/11       CFP Post Game Show                                                                            ESPN                       9.0 million

1/11       CFP Pre-Game Show                                                                              ESPN                       8.0 million

1/15       Gold Rush                                                                                              Discovery                  4.0 million

1/14       Cavuto Coast To Coast                                                                            FBN                          3.9 million

1/12       State Of The Union Speech Analysis                                                        Fox News                  3.8 million

1/12       Fixer Upper                                                                                            HGTV                        3.8 million

1/11       SportsCenter                                                                                          ESPN                        3.6 million

Source: Nielsen

In a carriage dispute, Dish subscribers can no longer see Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

As is generally the case, both sides, which faced contract expiration at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Dec. 20, blamed the other for the disconnect.

Typically, when a service disruption occurs it is the programmer that pulls the signal, as the distributor is more than happy to continue to offer the content under the prevailing rate under the extant contract.

However, officials for 21st Century Fox said it was Dish that made the move at about 11:50 p.m. on Saturday night.  

“Fox News Channel did not disconnect Dish.  Rather, Dish prematurely ceased distribution of Fox News in an attempt to intimidate and sway our negotiations,” said Tim Carry, executive vice president FCN and FBN. “It is unfortunate that the millions of Fox News viewers on Dish were used as pawns by their provider.  Hopefully they will vote with their hard earned money and seek another one of our other valued distributors immediately.”

Dish, which earlier in the day reached a renewal with four Comcast SportsNet regional services, offered a different take on the proceedings. The DBS distributor, which has reportedly replaced FNC with Glenn Beck's The Blaze and FBN with CNBC,  said it broached a short-term extension offer, with the intent that negotiations would continue, and it was 21st Century Fox that blocked customer access to the two networks as the “media conglomerate introduced other channels into negotiations, despite those channels not being included in the contract up for renewal.”

“It’s like we’re about to close on a house and the realtor is trying to make us buy a new car as well,” said Warren Schlichting, Dish senior vice president of programming. “Fox blacked out two of its news channels, using them as leverage to triple rates on sports and entertainment channels that are not in this contract.”

Schlichting added: “Dish has had a productive relationship with Fox for many years. We regret the service disruption to our customers, and remain committed to reaching an agreement that promptly returns this content to Dish’s programming lineup.”

Carry expressed disappointment, noting the blackout occurred after nearly two decades of uninterrupted service. “We care deeply about our viewers and hope that they will regain access to the number one cable news channel soon. We will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement with Dish, as we have done with every other pay-TV provider for 18 years. This is the third time in as many months that Dish customers have suffered through a blackout due to Dish’s intransigence. Dish’s record speaks for itself, and makes its rhetoric about ‘reasonable’ agreements ring hollow.”

Indeed, the scorecard shows that it’s been a very busy few weeks for the nation’s  No. 2 DBS provider. On Dec. 5 at 7 p.m., CBS pulled the signals for owned-and-operated stations in 18 stations during retransmission-contretemps, before restoring them about 12 hours later on that Saturday morning. CBS, which had granted Dish three extensions, also inked a new pact for Showtime Networks and other cable properties.

Last month, Turner Broadcasting System agreed to an extension, which sources say lasts into March, with Dish, an accord that put eight of its pay TV networks -- CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, TCM, HLN, CNN en Espanol and Boomerang --  back in front of Dish’s 14 million customers after they went dark on Oct. 20. The Nov. 21 extension also averted a blackout of its flagship TNT and TBS networks.

There also were more peaceful programming notes,  Nexstar Broadcasting,  after granting a third extension, reached a renewal on Dec. 10 with Dish for 60 network affiliated and local stations in 46 markets.

As alluded to above, Dish has also inked a new deal with the NBC Sports Group for four Comcast SportsNet regionals: Mid-Atlantic, Chicago, Bay Area and California. NBC Sports Group afforded the DBS provider an extension on Dec. 2, ahead of the end of their contract that night.

Although the parties reached a deal on Dec. 19, CSN New England, the home of the NBA Boston Celtics, continues to remain dark to Dish customers. The parties have been out of contract there since Aug. 6

Could Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network be the next programming services to go dark on Dish Network?

The contract for cable’s leading news network and its flanking business channel with Dish are set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20.  

Fox News Channel apprised viewers of the possibility via ads that ran on Fox’s coverage of the NFL Sunday afternoon and on the broadcaster’s entertainment slate later that night. Fox owned-and-operated stations are also running the ad, which discusses the possibility of Dish customers losing top-flight FNC fare “any day now.” 

The commercial says Dish viewers could lose access to The O’Reilly Factor, The Kelly File (pictured), Hannity, On the Record with Greta Van Sustern, Fox and Friends and The Five. The message to the provider's subscribers continues by saying: “Don’t lose cable’s  No. 1 news channel,” imploring them to go “KeepFoxNews.com or call 888-Fox-News and tell Dish not to block Fox News.” 

Check out the spot here.

“We are simply notifying our viewers about the possibility of not being able to access Fox News on their current satellite TV provider,” said FNC and FBN executive vice president of distribution Tim Carry in a statement.

Dish, which has been engaged in a number of carriage skirmishes with programmers in recent weeks, wrote on its Twitter customer service page that "Fox is making unreasonable financial demands" to continue carrying the two news channels. The No. 2 DBS provider, though, noted that "we have had a productive relationship with Fox for many years and are confident we can reach an agreement."

Officials at the nation’s third-largest distributor couldn’t be reached for further comment at presstime.

A Fox News Channel official reported that the spot that ran during NFL action prompted 20,000 callers to the 800 number, while 75,000 visited the website.

It has been a busy few weeks for the nation’s No. 2 DBS provider on the carriage front.  After a third extension, Dish reached a renewal with 60 network affiliated and local stations in 46 markets owned by Nexstar Broadcasting on Dec. 10.

Four days earlier, CBS restored its signals for owned-and-operated stations in 18 markets, following a 12-hour retransmission-consent disconnect that began shortly after 7 p.m. (ET) on Dec. 5. CBS, which had granted Dish three extensions, also inked a new pact for Showtime Networks and other cable properties.

NBC Sports Group on Dec. 2 gave Dish an extension ahead of contract expiration that night that has kept four Comcast SportsNet regionals – Chicago, Mid-Atlantic, California and Bay Area – available to its subscribers.

Last month, Turner Broadcasting System agreed to an extension, which sources say lasts into March, with Dish, an accord deal that  put eight of its pay TV networks back on the air for Dish subscribers, while averting a blackout of its flagship TNT and TBS networks.