• by Wayne Friedman , November 30, 2011

Cable consumers' favorite channels aren't always the highest-rated. Syosset, NY-based Beta Research demonstrates this point with its 2011 cable subscriber evaluation study, recently naming Discovery Channel, Food Network, and History the top three favorite networks.

Beta Research says the percentage of total cable subscribers mentioning five favorite channels gave Discovery a top score of 24%. Food Network and History both had a 22% number.

Among the higher-rated cable networks:  ESPN at 21%, TNT with 21%, and USA Network at 21%. Syfy scored 19%, followed by A&E at 16% and Comedy Central at 16%.

Viewers do give some high-priced networks -- those that cost cable networks the most money -- big value.

Beta says ESPN gets a $1.47 value from cable subscribers; ESPNU, $1.37; History, $1.36; Disney Channel, $1.35; Disney XD, $1.34; ESPN2, $1.31; Food Network, $1.30; Discovery Channel, $1.29; and CNN, $1.25.

When it comes to the percentage of viewers rating a network's "importance," viewers give Discovery Channel an 83% score, followed by History and National Geographic Channel, each with 81%; ESPN, 78%; Food Network and USA Network, each with 76%; Animal Planet and The Weather Channel at  75%; HGTV and TNT, 74%; and A&E, 73%.

In terms of picking a favorite basic cable network among adults viewing a TV show on a smartphone/tablet, viewers selected Discovery Channel at 28%, followed by A&E at 23%; ESPN at 23%; Comedy Central at 22%; ABC Family at 21%; Food Network at 19%; History at 18%; CNN at 18%; and TNT at 16%.

Beta Research says the online study was conducted in August/September 2011 among a national sample of 1,041 cable subscribers from 25 cable systems looking at 46 basic cable networks.