Top scores for some rookie cable networks

'In all our studies, networks with the highest Nielsen ratings aren’t necessarily the networks with the highest value and most positive associations. What networks achieve in terms of image and satisfaction may not be reflected in the Nielsen
ratings.'

Top scores for some
rookie cable networks

Viewers rank Nat. Geo. ahead of larger brands

By Gabriel Spitzer

    For all the talk of the over-cluttered cable dial, it appears that TV viewers are still open to more new channels and are quick to embrace those they like.
    Many so-called emerging networks, meaning networks in fewer than 30 million homes, get surprisingly high marks from satellite subscribers, according to the 2001 Beta Satellite Dish Subscriber Study, conducted by Beta Research.
    In fact, the rookies tended to fare better than the more-established mid-sized networks and occasionally even challenged the big boys.
   "It was interesting to see that some of the emerging networks did extremely well by our measures," says Andy Klein, president of the cable TV division at Beta Research.
    This appears especially to be the case when the upstart network is spun from an established brand.
    The two clear winners among emerging networks, the National Geographic Channel and the Lifetime Movie Network, share this trait.
    "If an emerging network is associated with a strong, well-known brand, it can help the network a great deal. Both National Geographic and Lifetime are very familiar brands, and that kind of rubs off on a new network launch," says Klein.
    In fact, the top five emerging networks in viewer satisfaction are all connected to established brands. Toon Disney, ESPNEWS and Discovery Health Channel round out the list.
    The only emerging network to break into the upper echelons without a flashy brand in its name was kids' network Noggin.
    But Noggin too has high-profile backing, being a joint effort of Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop.
   The six-month-old National Geographic Channel came in first among emerging networks in two major categories: importance to viewers and viewer satisfaction.
    Sixty percent of the survey’s respondents said they were very happy with NGC, and 39 percent consider the network very important to their enjoyment of television.
    National Geographic Channel was also the most-watched emerging network over the prior seven days.
    Not far behind was the Lifetime Movie Network. LMN tied for third in viewer satisfaction, with 56 percent of viewers very satisfied with the network. Thirty-three percent of respondents called LMN very important to their enjoyment of television, which is good for second place.
    The Lifetime Movie Network also ranked first among emerging networks in viewers’ perceived value. Viewers were asked to estimate what they thought each network was worth on its own, within certain parameters. Viewers thought LMN was worth $1.36 a month.
    Lifetime Movie Network is three years old, but it seems to be on the verge of taking off.
    "It looks like the Lifetime brand is really gaining traction. There’s been a significant growth curve. In May we had a 0.6 rating, and in June we had a 0.8. That’s a 33 percent increase, so we’re very excited about that," says Rick Haskins, executive vice president of Lifetime brands.
    Lifetime itself has been topping cable household ratings of late, but the network did not show up among the very top major networks in the Beta survey.
    Lifetime ranked 11^th in viewer satisfaction and 6^th in importance. Viewers thought Lifetime was worth $1.35 a month, seventh among major networks.
    Other high-rated networks weighed in with unspectacular results in the Beta survey.
    USA network did not show up in the top-10 major networks in importance, satisfaction or perceived value.
     "In all our studies, networks with the highest Nielsen ratings aren’t necessarily the networks with the highest value and most positive associations. What networks achieve in terms of image and satisfaction may not be reflected in the Nielsen ratings," says Beta Research’s Klein.
    Instead, dominating the major networks was the Discovery Channel, which topped networks of all sizes in both importance and satisfaction.
    Sixty-eight percent of respondents said the Discovery Channel was very important to their TV-viewing enjoyment, 14 percentage points higher than the nearest competitor, the History Channel. Sixty-nine percent reported being very satisfied with the network.
    The network credits high-quality programming, rather than high ratings, with its showing in the Beta survey.
    "We always pride ourselves on being the gold standard in nonfiction TV, and this is a great reflection of the quality of programming Discovery puts on," says Discovery Channel spokesman Matt Katzive.
    Beta Research’s results are based on a survey of 600 DirecTV and EchoStar subscribers. The study covered 56 basic cable networks, including 29 major networks (65 million subscribers or more), 11 mid-sized networks (between 30 million and 64 million subscribers) and 16 emerging networks (less than 30 million subscribers).

PERCENTAGE RANKING BY IMPORTANCE TO VIEWER
Major Networks		Mid-size Networks		Emerging Networks
Network	Viewers	Network	Viewers	Network	Viewers
Discovery Channel	68	Turner Classic Movies	29	National Geographic Channel	39
The History Channel	54	Food Network	25	Lifetime Movie Network	33
The Weather Channel	49	Country Music TV	22	ESPNEWS	24
The Learning Channel	47	The Travel Channel	21	Fox Movie Channel	24
ESPN	46	TV Land	20	Discovery Health Channel	22
Lifetime	41	WGN	20	Toon Disney	22
Animal Planet	40
Disney Channel	40
CNN	39
A&E	38
Source: 2001 Beta Satellite Dish Subscriber Study Numbers given in percent of a total of 600 respondents

PERCENT OF VIEWERS VERY SATISFIED WITH NETWORKS
Major Networks		Mid-size Networks		Emerging Networks
Network	Viewers	Network	Viewers	Network	Viewers
Discovery Channel	69	Speed vision	58	National Geographic Channel	60
ESPN	68	Food Network	56	Toon Disney	59
The History Channel	67	Country Music TV	51	ESPNEWS	56
Disney Channel	66	Court TV	48	Lifetime Movie Network	56
Nickelodeon/ Nick at Nite	64	Turner Classic Movies	48	Discovery Health Channel	49
The Weather Channel	63	TV Land	48	Noggin	47
ESPN2	62
The Learning Channel	62
Home and Garden TV	61
Cartoon Network	60
Source: 2001 Beta Satellite Dish Subscriber Study Numbers given in percent of a total of 600 respondents

AVERAGE PERCEIVED VALUE AMONG VIEWERS
Major Networks		Mid-size Networks		Emerging Networks
Network	Value	Network	Value	Network	Value
Disney Channel	$1.47	Speed vision	$1.25	Lifetime Movie Network	$1.36
Discovery Channel	$1.45	Country Music TV	$1.18	Toon Disney	$1.33
Cartoon Network	$1.44	Food Network	$1.12	National Geographic Channel	$1.21
The History Channel	$1.41	TV Land	$1.01	Fox Sports World	$1.09
The Learning Channel	$1.37	Court TV	$0.93	Discovery Health Channel	$1.03
Nickelodeon/ Nick at Nite	$1.37	Turner Classic Movies	$0.92	ESPNEWS	$1.03
Lifetime	$1.35
ESPN	$1.34
Home and Garden TV	$1.32
Animal Planet	$1.14
Source: 2001 Beta Satellite Dish Subscriber Study

-Gabriel Spitzer is a staff writer for Media Life.

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