Wait until they find out ESPN is available

A survey by Beta Research show that, once again, ESPN is a must have network for many cable users.

ESPN seems to always top the list of cable channels that users want. This year's survey is no different.

The Streaming Advisor suggests this is the top reason that people keep cable, and he may be right. And his suggestion that if more knew they could get the channel without cable, they might cut the cord as well.

Let's look at the details of the survey. The top channels for men and women were different, as you might expect.

Among men, the favorite basic cable channels included ESPN, History and ESPN2, Fox News, CNN, Discovery Channel, Fox Sports 1, Comedy Central and National Geographic.

Among women, the top networks were Food Network, HGTV, CNN, Hallmark Channel, ID, TLC, Lifetime and History.

All of these channels can be had via Sling TV Orange+Blue with Lifestyle Extra for $56/month. Or Sling TV Orange+Blue and Frndly.TV for $57/month, which may be a better deal overall, with the extra family friendly content.

According to July report from US News & World Report, the average household pays well over $200/month for cable.

Using data from a variety of public sources, the site found the average monthly cable package is now $217.42 per month. That’s more than the average household’s monthly cost of $205.50 for all other major utilities combined.

That's a lot of money. And a heckuva lot more than $57/month, the cost of a streaming package that includes the most wanted channels (plus a lot more channels).

When people realize how much they can save by cutting cable and streaming TV, they may make a change. If this is you, then welcome to the Streaming Life!