What do people really want to watch on TV? Hint: It’s not ESPN or HBO.

If cable TV viewers could create their own slim bundles of channels, what they really couldn't live without might surprise you. It's not necessarily ESPN or HBO, which command monster audiences for their biggest sports matches and shows. Instead, the top channels are the major broadcasters and Discovery Channel, the testosterone-fueled docu-series machine that has given the world "Deadliest Catch" and "Gold Rush," according to a report this week by Digitalsmiths, a research firm owned by Tivo.

In fact, HBO, Comedy Central and ESPN rank behind even the History Channel and the National Geographic Channel, according to the company's quarterly survey of 3,177 adults on cable viewing habits. Viewers said that 17 channels at $38 a month would make up the ideal package. HBO ranked ninth and ESPN ranked 20th in most-popular channels to include in a bundle. The survey measured what kind of smaller channel package would be ideal for consumers and what channels they couldn't live without. That's different from audience measurements from companies such as Nielsen.