The NFL Network is a “must-have” according to 30% of the cable subscribers asked about digital basic cable networks by Beta Research.
Among the other digital basic cable networks most often called a must-have by subscribers were Cooking Channel, FXM, Hallmark Drama, Nat Geo Wild, Discovery Life Channel, BBC America and Disney XD.
At a time when many consumers are cutting the cord, Beta found that subscribers who called themselves “heavy streamers” gave higher “must-have” scores to digital basic cable networks.
Among those heavy streamers, Cooking Channel was cited by 44% and NFL Network by 41%. Also among the networks called “must-have” by heavy streamers were Discovery Life, Discovery Family, Disney HD and Nat Geo Wild.
Beta saw a similar increase in must-have scores among heavy streamers in its survey looking at basic cable networks.
Favorite digital basic cable networks among men 18 years and older were NFL Network, BBC America, FXM, Cooking Channel, Disney XD and Nat Geo Wild.
While basic networks — such as CNN and ESPN — are carried in the most widely available cable package by most cable operators, digital basic networks are carried almost entirely in packages that cost an extra fee above basic or expanded basic but still have at least 30 million subs, Beta said. To be included in the survey, they must be subscribed to by at least 200 respondents.
Beta Research conducted its survey in June, interviewing a national sample of 1,502 multichannel subscribers.
