Cable TV a la carte. A prescription for limiting differing opinions?

[astrosfan90]

Yeah, I'm not really a fan of this. Seems like a bandaid solution. Why not just allow for cable competition to lower prices and improve service rather than complicate matters?

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: laketrout
Personally, A la carte seems like a cop out instead of helping competition in cable market monopolies. If people want cheaper cable give them another choice.

Thats one of the problems where I live, I don't hae a chocei so I have to pay whatever is asked. A la carte likely won't make much cheaper, it will just be different and smaller channels will get cut out. I think smaller choice packages would be nice too.

They have a la carte in Canda don't they? Wonder how it is up there?

My cable company(Shaw) used to have ala Carte channels. They seem to have dropped that in favour of Video on Demand.

 

[realsup]

Should people be forced to buy every available newspaper that is delivered to there areas?

 

[laketrout]

Originally posted by: sandorski
My cable company(Shaw) used to have ala Carte channels. They seem to have dropped that in favour of Video on Demand.

Know any reason for why they dropped it. The way I see it if you a la carte everything then certain channels will raise insanely in price while others plummet. The only weay to maintain the balance betwene these two forces would be to have a competitor that offers a different price structure. That way they will contorl one another and maintain good programming options.

 

[McPhreak]

Originally posted by: techs
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/PCWorld/story?id=1380439
The FCC wants pay-TV operators to let you choose your own channels instead of offering packages.

I see it as an attempt to monopolize the flow of info. Will you choose all the news channels or just one? Maybe Fox? Will Fox be the cheapest? Will you pay for more than one news channel? Think of the ability to control what people think and hear when due to costs we only get one news channel.

What if instead of completely ala carte, we offer smaller programming packages instead? You pay for a "music package" that would include MTV, MTV2, and VH1, or a news package that would include CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC or something to that effect. I think that would answer at least part of the problem you bring up.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: laketrout

Originally posted by: sandorski
My cable company(Shaw) used to have ala Carte channels. They seem to have dropped that in favour of Video on Demand.

Know any reason for why they dropped it. The way I see it if you a la carte everything then certain channels will raise insanely in price while others plummet. The only weay to maintain the balance betwene these two forces would be to have a competitor that offers a different price structure. That way they will contorl one another and maintain good programming options.

Really don't know. Maybe to limit Services, they already offer 6ish ways to receive Cable and the various ways often have unique Hardware(or selection of Hardware) to go with it. Possibly ala Carte just didn't generate enough Market interest to continue to offer it. Video on Demand might be more cost effective.

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: BBond
Just look at what's happened to TLC over the past few years, for example.

This happened without a la carte, and you are using it as an example of why a la carte would be bad?

Precisely.

Cable and satellite will become what free TV has become. Nothing but "reality" TV garbage and do it yourself home decorating shows.

 

[laketrout]

Originally posted by: McPhreak

Originally posted by: techs
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/PCWorld/story?id=1380439
The FCC wants pay-TV operators to let you choose your own channels instead of offering packages.

I see it as an attempt to monopolize the flow of info. Will you choose all the news channels or just one? Maybe Fox? Will Fox be the cheapest? Will you pay for more than one news channel? Think of the ability to control what people think and hear when due to costs we only get one news channel.

What if instead of completely ala carte, we offer smaller programming packages instead? You pay for a "music package" that would include MTV, MTV2, and VH1, or a news package that would include CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC or something to that effect. I think that would answer at least part of the problem you bring up.

I think that is a good alternative as well. Smaller packages would be a good balance.

Check this out, funny video I came across in my wanderings about this stuff.

 

[astrosfan90]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: laketrout

Originally posted by: sandorski
My cable company(Shaw) used to have ala Carte channels. They seem to have dropped that in favour of Video on Demand.

Know any reason for why they dropped it. The way I see it if you a la carte everything then certain channels will raise insanely in price while others plummet. The only weay to maintain the balance betwene these two forces would be to have a competitor that offers a different price structure. That way they will contorl one another and maintain good programming options.

Really don't know. Maybe to limit Services, they already offer 6ish ways to receive Cable and the various ways often have unique Hardware(or selection of Hardware) to go with it. Possibly ala Carte just didn't generate enough Market interest to continue to offer it. Video on Demand might be more cost effective.

See, there's the thing though. Increased competition would force the providers to think outside of the box and actually try these alternatives. Right now there's no incentive to because anyone who wants cable has to select their service one way or the other, so why bother?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: BBond

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: BBond
Just look at what's happened to TLC over the past few years, for example.

This happened without a la carte, and you are using it as an example of why a la carte would be bad?

Precisely.

Cable and satellite will become what free TV has become. Nothing but "reality" TV garbage and do it yourself home decorating shows.

psst... cable tv is nothing but do it yourself home decorating shows.

 

[DrPizza]

🙂
From now on, I expect to be PAID for having the 6 different shopping channels that I have, not being forced into the opposite role.

I'll bet a lot of parents will welcome this... they can limit their children's viewing habits even more easily. No more MTV! 😀

 

[laketrout]

That is one of the better points, but I think they should probably go small packages so that the a la carte doesn't just squash some networks...