Ever wanted to choose your cable channels instead of paying for them all?

[Ausm]

I think this is a way for the Nazi cable companies to ream you even more thenthey do now...

Ausm

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: broon

Originally posted by: sygyzy
What happens if they take the top 20 channels and charge you $5 a piece for them. Then charge you $0.30 a month for channels that you usually don't watch but might once in a while. Wouldn't you figure it'd be worth it to spend a penny a day to watch a single cool documentary or something? That's less than feeding a kid in Africa!

Another good idea. Various prices for various channels.

Well, yeah, I assume they'd do that, since the cable company is already paying different rates to carry different channels. ESPN is an expensive channel.

 

[eplebnista]

I'd probably still just go with the bundle package.

 

[acemcmac]

Comedy Cnt
History
PBS
TNT (law and order)
Lifetime (for the gf)
CBS, ABC and NBC

thats it.

 

[Phoenix86]

LMAO, you think enough people watch Sci-Fi channel for it to stay around? This is EXACTLY the kind of channel I see "going the way of the dodo". Of course this depends on the pricing a LOT.

Heck, Discovery would be lucky to stay around, see PBS.

edit: look at acemcmac's list, now multiply a small list like that times each household. Now figure out how many people selected Sci-Fi out of the list of 10-15 channels.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: Phoenix86
LMAO, you think enough people watch Sci-Fi channel for it to stay around? This is EXACTLY the kind of channel I see "going the way of the dodo". Of course this depends on the pricing a LOT.

Heck, Discovery would be lucky to stay around, see PBS.

edit: look at acemcmac's list, now multiply a small list like that times each household. Now figure out how many people selected Sci-Fi out of the list of 10-15 channels.

Can anyone say "fear-mongering"? Sci-Fi is an incredibly popular channel, as is Discovery and PBS. They are probably solvent from their paid advertising alone (edit: maybe not PBS, but they get most of their funding from private donations anyway).

 

[Phoenix86]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: Phoenix86
LMAO, you think enough people watch Sci-Fi channel for it to stay around? This is EXACTLY the kind of channel I see "going the way of the dodo". Of course this depends on the pricing a LOT.

Heck, Discovery would be lucky to stay around, see PBS.

edit: look at acemcmac's list, now multiply a small list like that times each household. Now figure out how many people selected Sci-Fi out of the list of 10-15 channels.

Can anyone say "fear-mongering"? Sci-Fi is an incredibly popular channel, as is Discovery and PBS. They are probably solvent from their paid advertising alone.

I have no interest in "fear-mongering". These are my opinions... 😕

 

[PingSpike]

Oh come on Phoenix86, next you'll be saying ESPN will disappear because not enough people watch it. Discovery has like 5 digital spin offs, seems like they're doing ok. And if any of these channels were really so unpopular, they would have bumped into obscurity digital area long ago or when dumped by the cable companies entirely. They're part of the core cable package because they have enough appeal to be solid draws for a lot of the population.

If no one watches any of these channels then why does anyone even get cable to begin with!

I agree this is the wrong way to address the problems, but come on.

 

[Baked]

It's gonna be more expensive if you pay by the channel.

 

[Phoenix86]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
Oh come on Phoenix86, next you'll be saying ESPN will disappear because not enough people watch it. Discovery has like 5 digital spin offs, seems like they're doing ok. And if any of these channels were really so unpopular, they would have bumped into obscurity digital area long ago or when dumped by the cable companies entirely. They're part of the core cable package because they have enough appeal to be solid draws for a lot of the population.

If no one watches any of these channels then why does anyone even get cable to begin with!

I agree this is the wrong way to address the problems, but come on.

Oh come on, I'm not speaking about MAJOR channels here. Sci-fi? Please. Just because this is a sci-fi friendly type board (and I knew should have know this channel would have drawn a reaction) doesn't mean that channel will stay around.

I'm looking for viewership by channel which would give us some insight (anyone know where to look?). While looking I found this article.

Text

In it there's a great point about cost of programming and prices.

Many subscribers without children might drop such offerings as Viacom Inc.'s Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. To make up that lost revenue, channels aimed at children could have higher subscriber fees. And since advertising dollars depend on potential viewership, the end result would be that many channels would have less money to spend on programming.

So higher fees on smaller channels with less content.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I remember reading an article detailing the amount that cable/sat companies had to pay certain networks per subscriber. I don't see how the cable companies would lose money if they kept the same profit margin per channel since their costs would be lower if people opted out of certain channels. I do remember that ESPN was the most expensive per subscriber at the time of the article (a couple of years ago I believe).

 

[EatSpam]

I'd take:
Comedy Central
Cartoon Network
Sci-Fi

and that's it. They'll love me!

 

[Dulanic]

Would I want it? Sure I dont watch the majority of the channels I have. But I doubt it would happen, and if it did I doubt you would save much.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: broon

Originally posted by: Phoenix86
You're asking for gov't price controls? Are you sure you want that?

I think they'd be higher than they are now if that were the case. If gov't got involved at all I'd like for them to break up the monopoly. I can only get one cable service provider and one local phone service provider. If I want a cable modem, I have to get Comcast. If I want DSL, I have to get SBC. Both suck. I want Time Warner.

:laugh: Man, whatever you're smoking, GIVE ME SOME. Comcast HSI is ALOT faster than freaking Tortoise-Runner, we have to deal with 384 kbps upload speed, fvcking pitiful. I do agree on the local phone company thing however, BellSouth sucks grand donkey nuts, and my buddies one county over are enjoying FiOS on Verizon.

Hmm, channels I'd want to keep
CNN
G4TV
ESPN HD and all its bretheren
TNT HD
Discovery HD
VH1
Sci-Fi
Nicktoons TV, hey man, they play Rocko's Modern Life
Cartoon Network
Spike TV
Locals in HD I guess

I wouldn't mind paying just $25 for that either, even $30. We have to pay like $50 now for the digital cable package to get any HD channels, out of the 50 Disney Channels, 5000 Music Choice things, 20 MTVs, and 100s of other useless channels, we watch 20 tops.