Beta Survey: Discovery Big With Cord-Cutters, Streamers

Captain Sig Hansen on season 17 of Discovery's 'Deadliest Catch'
Captain Sig Hansen on season 17 of Discovery's 'Deadliest Catch' (Image credit: Discovery)

Discovery Channel was the most in-demand cable network among people who can’t get it because they are either non-cable TV subscribers or cord cutters, according to a new survey by Beta Research.

Discovery was also the top-ranked basic cable network among non-cable TV subscribers who are heavy viewers of streaming networks.

In the Beta study, 37% of non cable TV subscribers and cord cutters said they were interested in Discovery.

Other networks scoring high included History and National Geographic with 34%; HGTV, Animal Planet and FX with 31%; and Food Network, ID and Comedy Central with 29%.

Discovery, HGTV, Animal Planet, Food Network and ID are all part of Discovery, which in January launched Discovery Plus, a streaming service featuring programming from its cable cable networks plus original shows.

Also Read: Discovery’s David Zaslav on Upfront: ‘We Need Pricing’

Beta found that 42% of cable subscribers were extremely or very interested in dropping cable TV and watching only the TV programming available on their tablets or computers.

Among those non-cable subscribers who are heavy viewers of streaming networks, 48% expressed interest in Discovery. 

They also showed interest in Animal Planet (45%), National Geographic (45%), History (44%), FX (43%) and Food Network (41%).

Beta’s Cable Network Interest Study was conducted in March, with a national sample of 1,418 multichannel subscribers and a sub-sample of 582 non-subscribers to cable TV, including cord cutters.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.