CNBC Asia is a Singapore-based business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group, a subsidiary of Comcast.

The network was expected to feature 10 hours of programming per day from its studio in Hong Kong, along with bureaus in Bombay, Singapore, and Tokyo.

NBC Asia chairman Patrick Cox expected that the network would reach five million homes by the end of its first year on-air.

[3][4] The network would be a competitor to the Singapore-based Asia Business News (ABN), a joint venture between Dow Jones & Company, Tele-Communications Inc., TVNZ, and other local investors which launched in 1993.

It was doubted whether two competing business news channels in the market would be viable; ABN CEO Paul France derided CNBC Asia as being "an Asian branch of an American company".

[7] Renewed negotiations between NBC and Dow Jones surfaced in November 1997 amid financial difficulties at the companies' Asian and European operations.

[9][10] The merged operation would retain the CNBC branding, but be overseen by Paul France,[11] and re-locate to ABN's Singapore studios—resulting in layoffs of 150 employees from its Hong Kong bureau.

[12] The merger impacted ABN's Indian network, ABNi, which was a joint venture with Hinduja Group and TV18; prior to the announcement of the Dow Jones agreement, Hinduja had sold its stake in the channel, and TV18's agreement on the venture did not contain any provisions on what would occur in the event of a change in ownership.

In July 2005, Dow Jones exited its joint ventures with CNBC, putting them entirely under the ownership of NBC Universal.

[15] In March 2007, CNBC Asia announced that it would expand its presence in Australia, including establishing a new Sydney bureau (initially based out of a local GE office, with a studio under construction at the Burns Philp Building across from Sydney Exchange Square), and premiering a new hour-long program preceding Asia Squawk Box—Squawk Australia—to cover the opening of the Australian markets.

On 27 September 2007, CNBC Asia announced two additional shows from Sydney, Trading Matters—a wrap-up of the day's market action, and Australia This Week.

[21] On 31 March 2014, CNBC replaced The Call and Cash Flow with the early morning show The Rundown and a local version of Street Signs.

Since 23 April 2007, a free live and commercial-free stream of CNBC Asia has been available on CNBC.com every Monday, from 6AM to 4PM SIN time (Sundays 6PM to 4AM ET with DST).

Furthermore, Worldwide Exchange is not shown on Fridays due to clashing with weekend shows (Inside China, The Edge) and Managing Asia.