# Your Favorite (American) TV Networks -- Pre-poll data collection

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-american-tv-networks-pre-poll-data-collection/583009>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 24, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-american-tv-networks-pre-poll-data-collection/583009 "2011-05-24T14:08:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-american-tv-networks-pre-poll-data-collection/583009/1 "2011-05-24T14:08:57Z")

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There are too many American TV networks just to list every one as part of a poll for determining SDMB’s favorite(s), so please list your Top Five networks based on your own criteria of what makes them your favorites.

Comment on other aspects of the issue to suit your own mood or tastes.

If you think it best to categorize your favorites, please do. Maybe there need to be several polls on the topic.

If other polls (or discussion threads) have already been done on this topic – to your satisfaction – please mention (with a link if you can) what they are.

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To begin the listing process, here are some of my favorites:

Fox (not news but regular programming)  
FX  
CBS  
ESPN (only during football season)  
PBS

If we include Premium Cable networks, I can add:

HBO  
Showtime

If we go with categories that allow expanding from Basic 5 to Category Top 5, I would add these:

Non-commercial movies:

TCM  
Encore  
Flix  
IFC  
Sundance

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-american-tv-networks-pre-poll-data-collection/583009/2 "2011-05-25T02:12:56Z")

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Most of the shows that my DVR records are on

ESPN  
HBO  
ABC  
CBS  
Spike

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**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-american-tv-networks-pre-poll-data-collection/583009/3 "2011-05-25T02:18:02Z")

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AMC  
Fox  
NBC  
ABC  
Cartoon Network

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-american-tv-networks-pre-poll-data-collection/583009/4 "2011-06-04T14:05:17Z")

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bump

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**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-american-tv-networks-pre-poll-data-collection/583009/5 "2011-06-04T15:43:37Z")

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NHL Network  
CNBC  
ESPN  
PBS  
Bloomberg TV

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-american-tv-networks-pre-poll-data-collection/583009/6 "2011-06-04T17:19:56Z")

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Summarizing:

ABC  
AMC  
Bloomberg TV  
Cartoon Network  
CBS

CNBC  
Encore  
Flix  
Fox  
FX

ESPN  
HBO  
IFC  
NBC  
NHL Network

PBS  
Showtime  
Spike  
Sundance  
TCM