Al-a-carte cable--how many cable channels do you really watch (please read before answering poll)

Quote: 98Clubs

But what if your CaTV Co. cuts a deal with Intel? Intel might get you that $60 offer for $30. At some point this could devolve into fiber carrying multiple cable services.

I don't understand how Intel can halve the price of the TV networks. It isn't about technology it is about content. For that $60 I am getting roughly 60 nationwide networks. As we established about $5 goes to Disney for ESPN. All the other networks cost less than a dollar, and some are probably less than a dime.

Theoretically ala-carte pricing will reduce my bill by reducing my choices. But if you reduce your choices, then the price per channel will rise. You may not save much.

In some locations like mine it is about tech. Copper wire (coax) here.
Now, if true, that CaTV might not realize much of a price differential, why hasn't it been done?

Quote: 98Clubs

In some locations like mine it is about tech. Copper wire (coax) here. Now, if true, that CaTV might not realize much of a price differential, why hasn't it been done?

I mean that the networks charge the cable companies a cost regardless of the price that the technology owned by the cable company. If a new provider were to radically reduce the distribution cost, they would still be saddled with the same cost for the content.

It is hard to say since the details are so secret, but I think the price you pay for content is much higher than the cost of the delivery.

$5.06 ESPN
$2.71 ESPN 3D
$1.29 3net
$1.21 TNT
$0.97 Disney Channel
$0.84 NFL Network
$0.82 Fox News
$0.67 ESPN2
$0.62 USA Network
$0.59 TBS
$0.58 MGM HD
$0.58 CNN en Espanol
$0.57 CNN/HLN
$0.52 Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite
$0.47 HDNet
$0.46 FX
$0.39 Fox College Sports
$0.39 MTV
$0.38 HDNet Movies
$0.37 Big Ten Network
$0.37 Discovery Channel
$19.86

More complete list, but older data


I have to say, if you could buy these channels ala-carte, I think most people would pay 3 or 4 times those prices easily.

Indeed!

Some of the advanced/not basic are sub-dime. And seeing some of the choices here, I might have to change my answer to 15-20, as WGN, Bloomberg, BBC, and Chiller are NOT offered in any package here: one must go unlimited.

Some defenders of cable say that the quality of the shows will keep Cable alive. I noticed that the winners of the Golden Globe were:
HBO
Game Change 3
Girls 2

Showtime
Homeland 3
House of Lies 1

History Channel - Basic Cable
Hatfields & McCoys 1

PBS
Downton Abbey: Season 2 1

Not one single winner from a broadcast network

The channels I watch depend on what's on.. Seinfeld is on many channels and if I ever notice it, I'll tune in..some shows are on such a vast array of channels at random times that its not worth the ala carte method.. I think the future is in things like Hulu.. It used to be free but with very limited selection.. Now they have Hulu Plus and you can watch precisely what you want, you don't have to wait for something or simply watch a "second choice" program..

On a side note has anyone ever received a Nielson survey? They send $2 cash in the mail with the survey as incentive..I filled it out and a few months later got $30 with the TV diary! Sweet! Hope they didn't send more cash to the same address as I have since moved..

Quote: ewjones

On a side note has anyone ever received a Nielson survey? They send $2 cash in the mail with the survey as incentive..I filled it out and a few months later got $30 with the TV diary! Sweet! Hope they didn't send more cash to the same address as I have since moved..

Last year I was paid to carry an arbitron meter. Looked like a 1990s pager. Wear it all day and get $15 or so a month and a bonus here and there. Showed it to a guy who worked at a radio station (shouldn't have but did) and you would have thought I showed him the Holy Grail. His jaw literally dropped. He had never seen one before.

Judging by that price list posted earlier, Disney owned channels get the highest subscription fees from cable. It makes sense that if a major network sell channels via internet that the first one will be Disney.

I wonder if they will bundle all their channels together for one price or if they will break them up into groups? Unless you are a family, it is unlikely that someone would watch that collection of channels.

1. ABC, ---BROADCAST
   
2. ESPN, $4.08
3. ESPN2, $0.54
4. ESPN Classic,$0.18
5. ESPNEWS,$0.17
6. ESPNU,$0.16
7. ESPN Deportes,$0.15
8. Disney Channel,$0.88
9. Disney Junior, ??
10. Disney XD, ,$0.13
11. ABC News Now,
12. ABC Family Channel,$0.22
13. Soapnet,$0.15
14. Live Well Network,---BROADCAST
15. A&E,$0.25
16. Bio,$0.11
17. Crime & Investigation Network,??
18. History, $0.22
19. History International, $0.06
20. H2,??
21. History en Español,$0.16
22. Lifetime,$0.28
23. LMN,$0.09
24. Lifetime Real Women,$0.04
25. Military History, $0.07

It looks to me like Disney gets as much for ESPN as it does for all it's other channels combined. But in any case in 2009 they get less than $10 per cable subscriber for all their channels.

I don't know how much people would pay for this package? I'm guessing they would market in the $25 range.

By the way, these are the content providers listed by Hulu. Even the subscription service is $8 / month.

15 Gigs	E! Entertainment	Look	Shout! Factory
19 Entertainment	Echo Bridge Entertainment	Lou Reda Productions	Showtime
321 Productions	Echo Pictures	Lucha Libre USA	Shree International
4Kids Entertainment	Edmunds	LXTV	Sky Studios
A La Carte Communications	ElecPlay	MAN	SnagFilms
A&E	Electric Sky	Manga Entertainment	SOAPnet
Aardman	ELLE	Martha Stewart Living	SOFA
ABC	EMI	Marvel	SOMA
ABC Family	Endemol	Matchstick Productions	Sony Pictures Television
ABC News	eOne Entertainment Distribution	Maverick Entertainment	SoPeachi
ABC Studios	Epicurious.com	Maya	Source Interlink Media
Acacia Fitness	Eqal	MBC America	SpaceRip
Action Television	Estrella TV	Media Blasters	SPEED
Advertising Age	Everyday Edisons	Mentorn	Speed Racer Enterprises
All3Media	Evil Global	MGM	Spike
Alli	Exclusive Media	Military History	Stand Up To Cancer
Alliance Entertainment	ExerciseTV	Millennium Media Services	Starz
Alliant Content	Fanclub	Miramax	Strand Releasing
Alloy	FEARnet	Modelinia	Strike.TV
American Pop Classics	Fever Dreams	Mojo	Style Network
Anchor Bay Entertainment	Film Ideas on Demand	MoMedia	Sundance Channel
Anime Network	Film Movement	Monterey Media	SunWorld Pictures
Aniplex	Film Sales Company	Moshcam	Sweet Irony
Anyone But Me, LLC	FilmBuff	Movieola	Syfy
Artists Den Entertainment	Finley-Holiday Films	Moving Art	Syndicado
Atlantic Records	First Look Studios	MPI	Synergetic
Attention Span	Focus Features	MSNBC	Talking Baseball with Ed Randall
Austin City Limits Music Festival	Food Network	MTV	Tantao Entertainment
Australian Broadcasting Corporation	FORA.tv	Music Video Distributors	TasteTV
Australian Food TV	Ford	MVD Entertainment Group	Telepictures
Azteca America	FOX	My Vortexx	TenduTV
Bandai	Fox Business	My Yoga	Tennis Channel
Base 79	Fox College Sports	MyNetworkTV	The Cannell Studios
BBC America	Fox Movie Channel	NASA	The CW
Beliefnet	Fox News	Nat Geo Wild	The Democratic National Convention
BET	Fox Reality	National Geographic Channel	The Denis Leary Podcasts
Big Air Studios	Fox Sports	NBC	The Global Film Initiative
BIGFlix	Fox Sports Net	NBC News	The Jim Henson Company
bio.	Fox Television Classics	NBC Sports	The Kitchen Diva
Blame Society	Frantic Films	NBC Universal	The LXD
Blastro Networks	FremantleMedia	NBCU TV	The Military Network
Bloody Disgusting Selects	FUEL TV	New Renaissance	The Morning After
Bloomberg	FUNimation	New Video Group	The National Film Board of Canada
Border Entertainment	FX	NHL	The New York Times
Brainstorm Media	G4	Nickelodeon	The Onion
Brave New Films	Gaiam	NickMom	The Orchard
Bravo	Galavision	Nikki Sixx	The Situation Workout
Broadway Video	GameTrailers	Nirvana Films	The Sundance Institute
Brushfire Records	Gatorade	NIS America	The Weinstein Company
Butaca	Generate	Novel Ruby Productions	The White House
BVTV	Gestion Pour Rire	nuvoTV	The Wine Library
Canal 13 de Chile	Giant Ape Media	O2 Media	The Zalman King Company
Candlelight Media	Glamour Films	OhmTV	This Week In Studios
Candor TV	GoDigital	Oops Doughnuts	TLA Releasing
Caracol Television	Golf TV	Ora TV	TMS Entertainment
Carsey Werner	Gong	Orange Lounge	Toei Animation
CBS	Gravitas	ORF Universum	Tokyopop
CelebTV.com	GreenLight Media	Oscilloscope Laboratories	Total College Sports
Charlie Rose	GT Media	Oxygen	Touchstone Pictures
Cheflive	H2	Paley Media	Trancas International Films Inc.
CHIC.TV	Handmade TV	Paranormal TV	Transworld
Chiller	Hat Trick	Park Avenue	Travel Channel
China Lion	HD Films, Inc.	Passion Distribution	Troma
CINELAN	Health Science Channel	Passion River	TV Globo
Cinema Guild	HealthiNation	PBS	TV Land
Cinema Libre	HereTV	PBS Kids	TVG Interactive Horseracing
Cinema Libre Studio	HGTV	Phase 4 Films	TVGuide
Cinema Purgatorio	Historic Films	Players Network	Twentieth Century Fox
CineSport	History	Plum TV	UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship
Cinetic	History en Español	PopSugar TV	UMS
Citizens United Productions No. 3	HitFix	PPI Releasing	UniMas
CJ Entertainment	Hollywood Pictures	PRO	Universal Pictures
Classic Media	How it Works	Pure Adrenaline	Universal Sports
Clinton Global Initiative	Howcast	Pure History	Univision
Cloo	Howdini	Pure Nature	unwrapped.tv
ClubWPT	Hudsun Media	Pure Science	USA
CNBC	Hulu Exclusive Series	Questar	uStudio
CODA BOOKS	Hulu Original Series	Rajshri Media	Venevision
Codeblack TV	Hype	Raphael Saadiq	Venus
CollegeHumor	iCue.com	Razor & Tie	VH1
Comarex	IFC	RCTV	Videofashion
Comedy Central	IFC Films	Real Magic TV	viewster
Comedy Time	IGN	Red Bull	ViKi
Conde Nast Digital	Image Entertainment	Red Hour Digital	Virgil Films
Constantin Film	Imagina US	ReelAfrican	Vision Films
Content and Co.	Independent Comedy Network	ReelzChannel	VIZ Media
Content Family	Independent International Pictures Corp	Rick Steves' Network	Vogue
Content Media Corporation	IndieFlix	RiffTrax	Vogue.TV
Contentino	Intersport	Right Network	Wall Street Journal
Cooking Channel	itsallinyourhands.tv	Riverhorse	Warner Bros. Records
Crackle	ITV	Roadside Attractions	Warner Bros. Studio 2.0
Crime & Investigation Network	Janson Media	Ron Hazelton Productions	WatchMojo.com
Criterion Collection	K2	RooftopComedy	WCG
CRM	KCET	Rovio	WE tv
Dave Matthews Band	Kidz Bop	RSA	WEP
Davis Panzer	Kino Lorber	RT	Westchester Films
Debutante Inc.	Koan	S and S Entertainment	Wolfe Video
Deca	L Studio	Saavn	WWE
Digital Artists	Laguna Productions	Sachs Judah	WYTV
Digital Rights Group	Legend Films	Salient Media	Yan Can Cook
Digital Studios	Lifetime	Satelight	Young Hollywood
Distribber	Link TV	Saturday Morning TV	YourTango
Diva	Lionsgate	SBS	ZDF Enterprises
DIY Network	Liquid Comics	Scott Entertainment	Zeitgeist Films
DoxBox	Local Food Sustainable Network	Screen Media	Zodiak Rights
DramaFever	Logo	Sesame Street	ZoomTV
Duopoly	Long Way Round	Shochiku