In a study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Food Network and History were the cable channels most often called “must haves" by cable subscribers, according to Beta Research.
ESPN, Discovery, Channel, CNN and National Geographic were also described as networks that must be included in a channel lineup.
ESPN was the favorite network among men by a large margin in the study. Men also said that History, CNN, Food Network, Fox News, National Geographic and AMC were their favorite.
Food Network was the favorite most cited by women. Adult females also favorited Hallmark Channel, HGTV, TLC, Lifetime ID and History.
Despite losing its live sports coverage for months, viewers said ESPN was worth $1.95 a month, most of the networks listed in the survey. Viewers said Disney Channel was worth $1.85, Nickelodeon was worth $1.83, Cartoon Network was worth $1.79, ID was worth $1.78 and Fox Sports 1 was worth $1.68.
The Beta Research Cable Subscriber study was conducted in June with a sample of 1,200 adult cable subscribers. The study measured 42 basic cable networks.
