Tim2Premium
join:2006-06-19 | Verizon has to pay for it somehow Verizon has to pay for the rollout somehow. Just like the satellite companies make up for their seemingly lower prices by charging fees for all sorts of things, so will Verizon.
As far as content goes, I agree I've never seen a Comcast rate hike letter that doesn't mention increased programming fees.
Now you ask, why are the fees going up? It's because the networks want to offer better quality programming. Take the ESPN model... I remember when Australian Rules football was one of ESPN's mainstays. Had they stuck with that, their rates would be much lower. Instead, they went with the NFL, MLB, etc. All of which increased their costs, which were passed along to the subscribers.
The same is true of nearly every channel. I remember when Discovery showed whatever documentary they could get on the cheap. Then they got into original programming, which increased their costs by a lot. Again, guess who paid?
Another example is MTV, which showed largely free videos before they started producing their own shows... with higher costs.
All of these costs get passed along to the consumer, be it cable, FiOS, or satellite.
That's part of the Big Ten's problem. They were an untested channel that wanted the big bucks before they even went on the air and without general audience appeal. As I've said before, the Big Ten is proof that ala carte programming will never work... if BTN had any faith in it, they would have accepted the sports tier. |
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 NOYBSt. John 3.16Premium
join:2005-12-15
Forest Grove, OR
kudos:1
3 edits |
Maybe they need to cut a few channels and force them to choose between not carried or pay-per-view. I am tired of being forced to pay for junk I do not want and do not want to watch in order to get what I do want. This is just another form of product tying to generate revenue from worthless products which the consumer would not otherwise purchase on their own given a choice. Given current technology capability this should be abolished and illegal.
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| You're referring to the ever popular cable a la carte system.
»yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=···/1229254 |
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Tim2Premium
join:2006-06-19 | said by tobycable1:You're referring to the ever popular cable a la carte system. Personally, I'd love to see ala carte programming. Once people start getting their cable bills, they'll start yearning for the "good old days."
It's funny... it seems most of the people on these boards clamor for more channels, while others want just the channels they want. With ala carte, both sides will see their bills rise. |
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