Netflix is coming for the broadcasters ranked at the top of Solutions Research Group’s 10th annual Must Keep TV Report.
According to this year’s survey, Netflix ranked fourth on the list, knocking Fox down to number five and trailing only ABC, CBS and NBC. SRG said this is Netflix’s first appearance in the study and also the first time the big four broadcasters didn’t occupy the top four spots.
The big four broadcasters still showed up regularly in individual surveys but lost some ground.
“In 2017, 72% of those interviewed included at least one of the big four networks (one or more of ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) on their ‘must keep’ channel list. While that is still a strong majority, it represents an 11-point drop from the historic high of 83% in 2007,” SRG wrote.
Netflix competitor Amazon Prime Video also made its first appearance this year on the list, coming in at number 14. Hulu also showed up at number 22.
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Netflix’s performance in SRG’s annual study correlates with new figures from Parks Associates that say Netflix is now in almost half of all U.S. broadband households.
ESPN, HBO, Discovery, PBS and the CW fill out the remainder of the top ten. History, which ranked ninth in last year’s study, came in at 11 this year. Meanwhile, HGTV jumped from 19 last year to 13 this year, and CNN fell from 13 last year to 15 this year. Fox News, which has been beating CNN in ratings, was just behind the news network.
“CNN is the clear choice among Americans under 50, coming in as the #15 ‘must keep’ TV brand among 18-49, far ahead of FOX News at #28. Among affluent households—those with income of over $100,000—FOX News is seen as slightly more important, ranking #8, compared to CNN at #12,” SRG wrote.