Beta Survey Finds Cord-Cutters Want Discovery, History

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Cord-cutters and others who don’t subscribe to cable TV say the networks they’re most interested in include Discovery Channel, History, Food Network and National Geographic, according to a new study by Beta Research.

Also high on cord-cutters' lists are Comedy Central, FX and AMC.

A number of virtual MVPDs are offering skinny bundles, but some of those channels, notably those not owned by media companies that also own a broadcast network, are not included in some of them.

Beta said 34% of cable subscribers were extremely or very interested in dropping cable TV and watching only the TV programming available on their tablet/computer, such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.

Among all adults, 39% watched TV on a smartphone or tablet in the past 30 days.

Among those viewers, the top-ranked digital basic and midsized networks were Velocity, Sprout, SEC Network, Nicktoons and Bloomberg Television. With those viewers, the top emerging networks they favored were Nick Music, Revolt TV, Tennis Channel, Fusion and MavTV.

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.