As NBC Universal’s cable business channel, CNBC, tries to grow its audience, especially with an eye towards competition coming soon from the new Fox Business Channel, it plans to convert most of its programming to 1080i by next winter.
Since hitting an all-time low audience level in 2005, the cable channel has now tripled its daytime viewership in the past 24 months, according to its president, Mark Hoffman. CNBC HD will debut in January, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While NBC Universal’s broadcast network converted to HD in several dayparts starting a few years ago, CNBC and its news channel, MSNBC, have remained SD venues. No word yet on when MSNBC will also make the leap to 1080i.
