The Fox "Business" Plan For TV Success

Merrill Lynch reported that Fox (owned by News Corp ) is gearing up to launch its business channel in the fall with 30-million plus subscriptions. This could be the largest cable network launch ever, but it's certainly taken them long enough, Fox has been trying to get subscription access for years. And it won't come cheap-- start up costs are estimated to be about $200 million, with News Corp expecting the division to break even by its fourth year. But it sounds like Fox Business Channel won't be anything like CNBC (GE is parent company.)

Far from our sophisticated coverage of the markets, Fox is "dumbing down" business, to (according to Merrill Lynch) answer practical questions like "how do I start a small business" or "how do I get a mortgage." If Merrill is right, then they're going after a much less educated and affluent viewer than CNBC, perhaps because they know they can't compete with our top notch coverage!

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