Fox Soccer leads all U.S. cable networks in distribution growth since the start of '13, up 19% since January. The net will air UEFA Champions League quarterfinal and semifinal matches this month. Speed -- which is set to be rebranded as Fox Sports 1 in August -- ranks third overall with an increase of 6%. The MLB regular season is in full swing, and MLB Network is again in a record number of homes (70.9 million). The NBA and NHL playoffs also are set to begin later this month. For NBA games, TNT is in slightly fewer homes compared to the same point last year, but still ranks 11th overall among all U.S. cable nets. ESPN and ESPN2 also are down slightly compared to April '12. For NHL playoff games, NBC Sports Network's distribution is down 1.5% compared to April of last year, but distribution is up slightly since the start of the year.
Listed below is distribution for the top 10 cable networks in the U.S., with comparisons to previous years. Also listed is distribution for networks with significant sports content.
| U.S. CABLE NETWORK DISTRIBUTION FOR MONTH OF APRIL |
| NETWORK | '06 (000) | '11 (000) | '12 (000) | '13 (000) |
| The Weather Channel | 90,193 | 100,978 | 100,134 | 100,385 |
| Food Network | 89,050 | 100,433 | 99,689 | 99,932 |
| TBS | 90,067 | 101,163 | 100,028 | 99,813 |
| Discovery Channel | 90,923 | 100,879 | 99,750 | 99,558 |
| Nickelodeon/Nick-at-Nite | 90,111 | 100,595 | 100,034 | 99,548 |
| Cartoon Network/Adult Swim | 89,342 | 99,643 | 99,101 | 99,321 |
| USA | 90,382 | 100,365 | 99,414 | 99,302 |
| CNN | 90,474 | 100,444 | 99,237 | 99,206 |
| A&E | 90,036 | 100,208 | 99,058 | 99,093 |
| Lifetime | 90,413 | 100,009 | 99,090 | 99,017 |
| TNT | 90,405 | 100,463 | 99,091 | 98,866 |
| ESPN | 90,617 | 100,122 | 99,086 | 98,504 |
| ESPN2 | 90,043 | 100,044 | 98,952 | 98,457 |
| Spike | 90,135 | 99,723 | 98,700 | 98,073 |
| Speed | 66,239 | 78,502 | 82,092 | 86,137 |
| Golf Channel | 68,524 | 83,562 | 84,557 | 83,087 |
| NBC Sports Network | 63,956 | 76,056 | 79,308 | 78,167 |
| ESPNews | 48,495 | 73,953 | 74,323 | 74,847 |
| ESPNU | n/a | 72,570 | 72,631 | 74,603 |
| NFL Network | n/a | 56,853 | 59,104 | 71,162 |
| MLB Network | n/a | 55,559 | 67,868 | 70,929 |
| NBA TV | n/a | 55,175 | 58,106 | 61,073 |
| Fox Soccer | n/a | 38,616 | 40,879 | 50,399 |
| Outdoor Channel | 26,667 | 34,975 | 37,597 | 39,454 |
| Fuel TV | n/a | 31,196 | 36,684 | 37,367 |
| Sportsman Channel | n/a | n/a | n/a | 32,241 |
| ESPN Classic | 60,596 | 35,879 | 32,526 | 31,124 |
| Fox Deportes | n/a | n/a | n/a | 19,675 |
| | | | | |
NOTES: Figures not available for nets that do not subscribe to regular Nielsen ratings, including Pac-12 Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, Fox College Sports, Longhorn Network, NHL Network, Tennis Channel, ESPN Deportes, beIN Sport, GolTV and Universal Sports.
