CNBC executive Jim Ackerman, who has overseen the business-focused news channel’s primetime strategy, is departing the network.
Ackerman, executive vp primetime alternative at CNBC, is leaving after seven years in which he was the architect of a revamped nighttime programming block designed to keep viewers watching after the markets close.
“Jim is leaving CNBC to pursue other opportunities at a yet to be determined date,” CNBC said in a statement. “We thank him for his amazing contributions over the last seven years and wish him the best.”
Ackerman joined CNBC in 2012 with a mission to reinvent the channel’s primetime programming. The “CNBC Prime” block launched in 2013 and helped the network score double-digit growth in primetime with shows like The Profit, Jay Leno’s Garage, Billion Dollar Buyer and a recent reboot of game show Deal or No Deal.
Prior to joining CNBC, Ackerman spent a decade at VH1, where he was a senior vp and key member of the creative team that helped turn the formerly music-focused channel into an unscripted powerhouse. During his tenure there, he helped launch such shows as Love & Hip Hop, Scream Queens and Tool Academy and oversaw franchises including Best Week Ever and Celebrity Fit Club.
He previously worked at Disney’s Buena Vista Television and Warner Bros. TV and in the news divisions of ABC and NBC.
