CHICAGO, March 31, 2026, 15:11 CDT.
Starting April 6, CNBC is set to launch daily broadcasts from the Cboe Global Markets trading floor in Chicago as part of a multi-year agreement. The move plants the network squarely inside the U.S. options trading hub. CNBC will also tap into Cboe data and put a reporter on the options beat, per the deal.
The timing isn’t much of a mystery. Options — those contracts used for hedging or wagering on stock and index swings — are now among the market’s most active segments. Total volume hit 15.2 billion contracts in 2025, up 26% from 2024. Retail traders, institutional hedgers, and the spread of exchange-traded funds tied to options strategies have all fueled the boom.
Cboe said CNBC’s coverage is set to feature real-time takes on breaking news, swings in market volatility, and trends in options activity, with guest interviews showing up both on TV and online. CNBC will broadcast Cboe’s opening and closing bells, and a broadcast studio on the trading floor is in the works for later this year. Financial details weren’t released.
Craig Donohue, Cboe’s Chief Executive, described Chicago as “a cornerstone of the global financial markets.” CNBC Editor-in-Chief David Cho noted that audiences want “deeper, real-time insight” on the options market’s moves. Cboe Global Markets
The exchange notes that over 300 brokers, market makers, and other pros still work its floor. S&P 500 and VIX options? The place is central, running on a hybrid system—part electronic, part old-fashioned open outcry. That face-to-face approach hasn’t vanished; it coexists with the screens.
CNBC is expanding its reach, adding Cboe to a roster that already features weekday coverage from the New York Stock Exchange floor and the Nasdaq MarketSite, where “Fast Money” calls home. With Cboe in the fold, the network moves nearer to the heart of the derivatives arena—the options-heavy segment that typically plays out off-camera, well beyond the public equity exchanges familiar to most viewers. usanetwork
Still, there’s no certainty of a windfall. The approach amounts to a bet that the options surge continues to reel in both traders and an audience—especially now, with volatility back in the spotlight. Should that fade, the everyday floor setup might not grab as much attention as the firms anticipate.
Megan Goett, Cboe’s chief marketing officer, pointed to an uptick in retail activity as a key reason investor education now sits at the center of the exchange’s playbook. As for CNBC, the network hasn’t disclosed who’ll take on reporting duties from the Chicago floor, according to a spokesperson speaking with Talking Biz News.
