I don't want change, there is no way changing this will benefit customers it will make all tv service just go up as a whole.

It would be sweet as hell if I pay a fee per channel and only get the ones I want to see. If you think about it, most poeple pay atleast 50$ a month for cable. 25 channels until your up to your normal rate. I need about 5 channels. Not too many people would need more then 25.

Media companies would never allow this. I'd pay a 20$ surcharge to not get ESPN and CNN. Just knowing those channels arent floating out there on my copper wires would make me feel better.

There's no way that would ever happen without some iTunes-ish pricing scheme (2.99/month per channel). There are a ton of channels that I watch only one show on (SoapNet for 90210, FX for Nip/Tuck) so I'm not sure how interested I would be. Besides, I got a pretty good deal with a local cable provider that gets me almost everything for 29.99/month

In theory, it would be awesome to only subscribe to the ones we wanted - I know that out of 100 odd channels I literally only watch around 10-20 of them ever. However, unless you literally only wanted one or two channels, over time the prices would probably end up being about the same. The companies will want to make the same amount of money, so they will not let the average user's monthly cost go down significantly.

The current system spreads the money out over the channels a bit more and probably props up some channels that, given true consumer choice, wouldn't actually be profitable.

I would be willing to pay $1.00 per channel that I watch per month. Any channel that I flip the channel to and watch for more than 5 minutes in the month would add a $1.00 to my bill. Seems fair to me!

What a great article. Just the other day I received a thicker-than-normal bill from ComCast. It seems that they are raising their rates again and included in my bill was an explanation and breakdown of all the changes, costs, channels, etc. I skimmed over the bill, looking for anything interesting, and noticed a section that read 'A La Carte choices'. Wow, right?!?! I sat there thinking how much less my cable bill would be next month after I went through and selected the handful of channels I wanted. But alas...it seems that ComCast hasn't fully grasped the concept of 'A La Carte'. It's simply a marketing ploy for picking-and-choosing which upper-tier viewing package you want to select and pay for. Nice try, ComCast. Your bait-and-switch almost worked.

(This is my first post...I've been lurking here for months. LOVE the site and occassionally send links to friends, etc. Thanks!)

I DO want change, I want a-la-Carte programming. There's NO WAY I'm going to pay $70+ to watch the 10 or so stations I'd actually watch, and even then I don't watch regularly...

So until they get it straight and let me pay for what I want and not a lot of other stuff too? I guess I'll keep my money.

Likely it would be sold in packages. A package of 10 channels would be 15$, pick 10. Etc.

Patent Pending.

@masonreloaded: True. I'd hate to see a good channel like FX go down because their brand only caters to a narrow audience. Then again, that's how HBO and Showtime have to make a living. Maybe we'd see a little more diversity within each channel? That would be nice.

I would love to just be able to order individual channels. My wife likes Bravo, but because it's in the next package up, we also have to get a bunch of other shit that we literally never watch.

Taking this a step further, why should I have to pay for an entire channel that shows a ton of crap when I really just want to watch one or two shows? Right now my options are to wait until things are released on DVD (this takes too long), hope that it's available via iTunes or the network's website, or download it via torrent.

I'm just waiting for the day when every channel/series/episode is available to purchase on an individual basis.

That would be fine. I just want a couple small pieces. My thumb would certainly last longer.

Drop the collusion, let the customers decide, and then maybe we'll have an example of a free market in action.

Ala carte programing = be prepared to see your favorite niche channel go out of business.

Cable packages are ridiculous. Imagine if I was at the grocery store and tried to buy a gallon of milk, only to be told, "Sorry Sir, you have purchase eggs, butter and some imported cheese as well in order to buy the milk, because the imported cheese really isn't that popular, and this way someone will eat it." It's not my fault that your product doesn't appeal to me and I don't want to buy it.

What I wouldn't mind is being able to remove some of those tiers as they currently stand. I'd rather not pay for the MTV swath of channels, nor would I need the Disney swath of channels. Those probably don't come cheap, so I could probably save about $10-15 a month if I wasn't forced to buy those two "tiers"

I want to pick and choose what I want to watch! I go to McDonald's and order a cheese burger for .99 cents. They don't make me order a "McBundle" for $6.99 and throw in a lot of "McOtherStuff" they normally can't sell.

As much as I think ala carte cable makes sense... I think it would be hard to beat the $14 (I could be wrong. I have no idea what the pricing would be but I'm guessing at least $2 per channel) that I pay for basic cable which includes HD programming that I bring in on my QAM tuner...now if they offered ala carte channels in addition to $14 basic...well, then we might be talking.

Am I the only one that thinks garbage channels SHOULDN'T be profitable?

I'm all for kicking the media companies in the face with some legislation and forcing a reasonable pricing model.

One which will ultimately lead to garbage channels going down the tubes permanently and forcing real and channels to actually compete with decent programming for customers.

I live in Columbus Ohio and that bullshit big10network wanted to be forced into the basic package and spread the price hike across everybody.

One of the cable companies tried to stand up to them, and the media company launched a mud slinging campaign on TV and the radio trashing the cable company. The cable company fought fire with fire and we had a couple months of political-esque mud slinging ads berating us from all angles.

When you get right down to it though, the cable company was right, and everyone should not be forced to pay for a one channel that only some people are going to watch.

@8abhive: The cable company/big media collusion is a perfect example of a free market in action.

I don't pay for cable TV. I pay for cable internet, so I get free basic cable. Sometimes, I get cable plus channels, but I never watch TV anyway. I haven't since 2000. It's a waste of $100 a month. I rather have Netflix and actually remove my ass from the couch and go out.

I've been trying out a completely new approach to viewing television, it's saved me a lot of money ($90/month), given me a lot of free time (about 20 hours a week), and i can remember what happened 2 hours ago....you won't find many people bold enough to second my advice, but...

CANCEL THE CABLE ENTIRELY AND TURN THE IDIOT BOX OFF

I get something like 150 channels in my current Comcast lineup. (basic cable + HDTV + HBO). Among those 150 channels there are literally about 15 that I watch regularly. Some of those remaining 135 I've never watched. I'd gladly pay per-channel if the price was reasonable.

As it is, I wonder if all the cable companies will start losing customers after the big switch to digital next year. I live close enough to Boston that I can pick up HDTV over the air from all the major networks with an antenna sitting on top of my tv. With cable tv prices going up every year, more and more garbage filling the channels, and their customer service as lousy as ever, I'm very tempted to give up on cable entirely and go back to the days of just having ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, etc. It's probably just a matter of time before you start seeing more and more antennas popping up in the neighborhoods surrounding major cities where HDTV over-the-air signals are strong.

I would like the idea of a la carte cable in theory, assuming it would save me money. But I agree with those who point out that small channels might suffer. I'm a big fan of History International (although I don't get it now because we downgraded our cable package). But with a la carte cable, I would bet on that channel not getting enough buy-ins and going under. Sure, it's the law of supply and demand at work, but perhaps losing a small but quality channel can be avoided somehow.

Perhaps something like what @bladefist suggested would be a decent compromise.

If you want CNN you get TBS and TNT? That sounds backwards.

I only watch about 10% of the channels I get. So yeah, it seems like a huge waste of bandwidth and money.

@brent_w: One man's trash (network) is another man's treasure (network).
@kidgenius: That would be perfect, obviously if you don't have kids then getting rid of the whole kid "tier" would be a great way to save money. Similarly, for people who wouldn't normally have cable, but have kids, they would be attracted to just signing up for the kid tier. Everyone wins.

It would be great if everyone could exclude the White House TV mouthpiece, FOX News, from their cable lineup.
FOX needs to understand how many consumers don't like their lineup cluttered with the trash of their so-called "fair and balanced", divisive, non-journalistic, propaganda bullshit.

I would like Ala Carte as well, but I know it will never happen. As it stands, I have the channels I don't want blocked out of the Tivo and TV tuner, and I don't miss them.

Question about the tier stuff: My cable company has Discovery Channel in its basic lineup. Does that mean I'm supposed to be getting all the other channels listed above in the basic lineup, or do they just have to be part of "some package" somewhere in their offerings (eg. Silver package, Gold Package)?

Hmm. Is it bad that half the channels I like are in the "bundled" section?

I can't be the only person who watches the Law and Order Channel - er, TNT.

I have the ghetto cable - I get cable internet and the TV signal comes along for the ride. Shh. Don't tell anyone. I'm fine with the channels I get. :)

Discovery is basic on our cable, but you have to pay to get BBC America.

I'm with others that worry that channels like Sundance, Indie, FX, etc. will disappear as they cater to a narrow audience. Perhaps a higher a la carte rate for some of these "niche" channels will give them the almightly dollar and keep them in business. I scare myself when I consider how much I'd be willing to pay for "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

I'd like a'la cart, but my friends might be a bit aggrivated when they come over and all I have is Discover, Food Network and PBS...

I only watch about 5 channels. I would love to be able to pick and choose what channels you get on cable!

I'd like to get ESPN 8 -- "The Ocho"

@braindesign: Don't be a douche, you aren't contributing to the debate, nor are you witty.

I just want the same service but cheaper.

@CurbRunner: That's why FOX News is removed from my Tivo/TV, and to be 'fair and balanced' I also removed CNN, HN, MSNBC, CNBC, and FNC.

Out of the 71 channels I get (including locals), I only need to flip through the 25 or so I actually watch.

I don't quite get it. I get USA but Comcast has taken my MSNBC and placed it on digital. What gives?

@HRHKingFriday:

Why should I pay extra money for the benefit of a handful people I don't know or care about just so that they can watch a channel I think is stupid?

Answer: I shouldn't.

So, the channels which are "treasures" to the majority of people will get to stay, and those that arn't will stop bogging down the system.

@eury: Yah... that's my question above.

Ala cart is definately the way to go. Cable companies just need to simply say "For tier 1 you get your choice of 25 channels" or what ever it is.

I'm tired of paying for hundreds of channels that do not intrest me at all.

Liberate yourselves!
Ditch the entire cable company and put up a moderate quality antenna. You would be amazed at the volume and quality of channels that are FREE, even HD!

An even better solution is a Free to air satellite.

Pull the plug on your cable company. It's your money, and you're their bitch.

This is B.S.

Cable companies should tell the channel bundlers "take the shit channels out now and lower the price, or we won't carry you at all." But they will only do this if consumers continue to push - HARD - for some type of protective legislation. Never count on the cable/satellite companies or channel bundlers to do ANYTHING in the consumers' best interests. Force this issue!

Our cable provider baits everyone into getting digital tier by putting the handful of better in demand channels on the digital tier and then flesh it out with hundreds of channels of crap.

In order to get DIY, Sundance, IFC, BBC America, History International we have to pay for digital and the hundred or so versions of ESPN and other unwatched crap.

We watch about 20 channels total between everyone in our house. I would be all about buying blocks of channels and then getting to pick what is in those blocks or some other form of ala carte.
It sounds like we need to go after the media companies first and the cable providers after that.

I would love to be able to get rid of the sports channels. I do not watch any of them but, I am still paying for them. I did a quick search and I read that ESPN costs between $3 and $5 per customer. Factor in all the other sports channels and that is a significant portion of your cable bill.

@mercurypdx: Unless, I'm mistaken it depends on your cable company and what they're able to negotiate.

@jkaufman101: Yes, if the cable companies would grow some stones and tell the content companies to get stuffed unless they unbundle, we'd all be much happier. All we can do is complain and/or ditch the cable companies until they get the hint.

I would love to able to kick the god channels off my cable box, followed by FoxLies and about 2 dozen other channels I don't even know the names of.

'twould make flipping so much faster!

@Meg Marco: Boo... BBC is like 50 channels away in the "You actually have to pay us for that" tier. :(

This is why the NFL Network commercials cracked me up. Not many people know that the media companies force bundling on the cable companies.