ESPN Tops Beta Research Survey for 19th Straight Time

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ESPN extended a 19-year winning streak, once again finishing atop Beta Research’s survey of the cable network cable operators see as most valuable.

Cable operators in the study said ESPN had a perceived value of $1.14 per month.

The next most valuable cable network was Fox News, at 95 cents, followed by ESPN2 at 88 cents and NFL Network at 81 cents.

Also in the top 10 were Disney Channel, USA Network, TNT, Fox Sports 1, HGTV and TBS.

Beta also asked cable operators which network organizations were very helpful in selling services such as TV Everywhere, HDTV and video on demand and Disney and ESPN Media Networks finished first, named by 73% of operators with more than 100,000 subscribers.

Also among the most frequently named were NBCUniversal Cable, Fox Networks Group, Turner Entertainment Networks, Discovery Networks and Hallmark Network.

Beta sampled 100 cable operators, interviewing them by phone between August and October 2018. The interviews were with marketing directors, general managers and directors of programming at the operators.

Jon Lafayette
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.