Lifetime movie net picked to click
Mike Reynolds
Channels focused on movies, health and profiles topped the charts as the emerging networks operators are most interested in adding to their systems by the end of 2001.
Lifetime Movie Network is becoming the channel cable operators most want to add to their systems by the close of next year, according to the latest Beta Research Corp. study. In fact, 82% of the operators surveyed selected LMN, the Lifetime Television spinoff.
Additionally, “The Beta Research Cable Operator Study” also showed that Discovery Health Channel and Biography ranked as the second and third networks cable operators want to add most, with 77% and 76% of respondents indicating their preference for those channels.
Among the other leading emerging networks were: CNNSI (72%), CNNfn (71%), ESPN Classic (67%), Romance Classics (67%), Fox Movie Channel (66%) and Toon Disney (66%).
Looking at the potential for an increase in analog penetration over the next 12 months, Beta’s research points to Food Network and FNC as the big winners with the networks poised to add 14 million subcribers apiece. Speedvision was third with 12 million, followed by Court TV, FX and Travel Channel, each of which is projected to add another 9 million subscribers. Beta also predicted that TV Land would add 8 million subscribers during the span.
Relative to mid-sized networks, the Syosset, N.Y.-based research company found Fox News Channel is the top network among operators with 83% indicating they wanted to add it by the close of 2001. FNC nosed out MSNBC, Turner Classic Movies and TV Land, as each of these networks scored with 81% of the operators. Travel Channel was fifth with 79% of the MSO mid-size vote.
Back on the digital beat, the percentage of operators who said they have digital tiers increased from 21% in 1998 to 66% this time around. The percent of operators who have a digital tier or plan to have a digital tier by the end of 2001 jumped from 61% in 1998 to 80% in 1999 to 94% in 2000.
Research for the report was gathered through a nationwide syndicated telephone survey with general managers and marketing directors among a country-wide sample of 156 cable operators. Of that group, 83% had 10,000 or more cable subscribers, while 53% represented systems reaching 25,000 homes or more. The study gauged 30 emerging networks with subscriber bases of 1 million to 4 million, as well as 17 mid-sized networks with 15 million to 49 million subscribers. Only networks launched at the time of the interviewing were reported on.
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