Sports TV Comprises Most Cable Costs

On average, SNL Kagan says pay TV providers spent $1.03 per month per subscriber for sports channels in 2013, which will soar to $1.37 by 2018 -- a five year compounded annual growth rate of 7.3 percent.

SNL Kagan says the top sports network -- and overall cable network -- cost is ESPN, at $6.04 subscriber per month. After sports -- far down the list -- come film-centric cable channels, which sits at 81 cents a month, and are expected to see flat costs for pay TV providers for the next four years. SNL Kagan says the overall average per cable network cost is at 39 cents a month per subscriber in 2014 -- growing 5.4 percent per year to 48 cents a month in four year. It had been 37 cents a months at the end of 2013.