ABC Ranked as Top ‘Must-Keep’ TV Brand

TORONTO: A Solutions Research Group (SRG) survey has found that ABC is the top TV brand U.S. consumers must have, narrowly beating CBS, FOX and NBC.

According to the fourth edition of the Must Keep TV report, which surveyed 1,400 American consumers above the age of 12 in March, 47 percent of respondents ranked ABC as the top must-keep TV brand. While the broadcast networks top the charts, the number of respondents who included as least one in their list of favored channels fell from 83 percent in 2007 to 77 percent this year. Fifty one percent had at least two broadcast nets in their favored list, down from 60 percent in 2007.

Rounding out the top ten list are first ESPN, followed by Discovery Channel, Food Network, HISTORY, USA and TNT. Notably absent is HBO, which failed to make the top ten for the first time since 2007. Slipping into 13th place, it was replaced in the top by by TNT. Other significant movers were Disney, Lifetime and National Geographic.

Among 18 to 49, ABC again ranked at the top of the list. The top five cable nets in the 18-49 were ESPN, Discovery, Food, History and Comedy Central. CNN was the top news “must keep” brand coming for 18-49.

Among potential cord-cutters, ABC was the top network they would want to keep, followed by CBS, FOX and NBC. Rounding out the top 10 were Discovery, History, ESPN, A&E, Food and Comedy Central.