Last October CNBC chartered new territory with the launch of Futures Now, the first broadcast and digital program exclusively about futures markets. Futures Now is aimed at retail traders and provides live commentary and real-time trading advice on futures markets. Now the show has been recognized for providing some of the best content on the web in any category.
CableFax gave Futures Now its award for original content at its Best of the Web awards held last week in New York. Futures Now is, as the CableFax award implies, a web-based show. It airs live on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week, and is archived for later viewing on CNBC's web site. 900,000 viewers have watched the show online, and another 16 million have watched a broadcast segment on CNBC that airs three times per week. Though CableFax didn't release information on why it chose the show as its winner, the show (for which CME Group is a sponsor) is significant for a few reasons from our perspective.
First, it's about futures. There's a lot of airtime and bandwidth devoted to business news, and though much of it is relevant to our industry, no broadcast or video program has previously been entirely devoted to futures markets. Much of the programming on business networks focuses on markets for retail investors and that usually means securities, but the show has established a following for futures on a major network. Guests including Bill Gross of PIMCO, Jim Rodgers and Warren Buffett have offered their perspective on the show.
Second, retail investing in futures markets is a fast growing area. At TD Ameritrade, also a sponsor of Futures Now, futures trading represents about 40 percent of total volume today. This is a major part of the Futures Now audience, and the show is attracting and educating investors looking to move into futures markets or enhance their existing futures portfolios.
And finally, the show is an example of the power of digital media. Not just in the financial industry, but more broadly. The finalists for the award Futures Now won were not other business shows. They were mostly popular entertainment franchises like AMC's The Walking Dead and Bravo's Top Chef. And the Futures Now site goes beyond the show. There's a blog, tutorials on trading futures, polls, slideshows and market insight videos explaining futures and the products traded on futures exchanges. There are a lot of possibilities for digital content, and Futures Now puts many of them to effective use. The CableFax award recognizes that. And it's the latest sign that futures are being recognized by more media consumers outside and inside the world of financial markets.
No comments:
Post a Comment