CNBC LICENSES OFF-NETWORK CABLE RIGHTS TO "SHARK TANK" FROM DISNEY-ABC TELEVISION GROUP

First Off-Network Run for Hit Reality Series

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. - October 1, 2013 - CNBC today announced the network has licensed the exclusive off-network cable rights to the critically-acclaimed business-themed show, SHARK TANK, from the Disney-ABC Television Group. The announcement was made today by Mark Hoffman, President and CEO of CNBC. Under the agreement, CNBC will begin airing SHARK TANK in January 2014 with an expanded schedule in Fall 2014. Also under the agreement, as part of CNBC's TV Everywhere offering, a selection of SHARK TANK library episodes will be available on demand via TV, online and mobile to authenticated subscribers.

"Shark Tank's motivational stories are wrapped in the fundamentals of business and entrepreneurship," said Hoffman. "The 'Sharks' are self-made mega successes and the contestants seek their money and counsel as they plot their own paths to the American dream. That practical knowledge and aspirational theme is pitch perfect for CNBC at night."

Since its launch on ABC in 2009, SHARK TANK has seen audience growth in each season with the most recent season experiencing double-digit growth in all key demos. Now in its fifth season, the top rated program also dominates its Friday competition in all key demos and is consistently #1 in its time period among P18-49 and P25-54. On its fifth season premiere on September 20, SHARK TANK opened as the night's No. 1 TV show with the series' most-watched season premiere ever. The wildly popular series received a number of prestigious nominations including two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Reality Program; a nomination for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Reality Series; a 2013 Producers Guild Award; and most recently, won the 2013 Summer TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming.

The Sharks -- tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons -- give budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires. They are: billionaire Mark Cuban, owner and chairman of AXS TV and outspoken owner of the 2011 NBA championship Dallas Mavericks; real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran; "Queen of QVC" Lori Greiner; technology innovator Robert Herjavec; fashion and branding expert Daymond John; and venture capitalist Kevin O'Leary. SHARK TANK currently airs Fridays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on the ABC Television Network.

Mark Burnett, Clay Newbill and Phil Gurin are the executive producers of SHARK TANK, which is based on the Japanese "Dragons' Den" format created by Nippon Television Network Corporation. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television.

CNBC at night is the new CNBC Prime. Like us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/cnbcprime and follow us on Twitter: @CNBCprimeTV and Instagram: @CNBCprime.

About CNBC

With CNBC in the U.S., CNBC in Asia Pacific, CNBC in Europe, Middle East and Africa, CNBC World and CNBC HD , CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business information to more than 395 million homes worldwide, including more than 100 million households in the United States and Canada. CNBC also provides daily business updates to 400 million households across China. The network's 16 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 4:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night is the all new CNBC Prime featuring a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC including "American Greed" and "Crime Inc." and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries.

CNBC also has a vast portfolio of digital products which deliver real-time financial market news and information across a variety of platforms. These include CNBC.com, the online destination for global business; CNBC PRO, the premium, integrated desktop/mobile service that provides real-time global market data and live access to CNBC global programming; and a suite of CNBC Mobile products including the CNBC Real-Time iPhone and iPad Apps.