No business cares about clout when it is businesses competing for the $200 billion video market. Letting Apple in means the beginning of the end of the existing model. This is the same reason why streaming and IPTV of channels is the boogie man. It will reshuffle the deck, and the current players all have royal flushes.
Kearnstd Elf Wizard Premium join:2002-01-22 Mullica Hill, NJ
Content will never get cheaper, as a show gets more popular the stars demand more and more money. Some getting over half a million per episode. that money has gotta come from somewhere and unless every single content maker starts to refuse these outrageous salaries they all have to pay it or the big names walk. And as such we have to pay it be it with cable bills or increases in the cost of streaming to pay for the royalties increases. -- [65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports
Consumers are willing to pay for content whether it is traditional cable bill, a la carte cable, or streaming a la carte. The current model is antiquated and forces consumers into tiers that don't accurately reflect the demands of the market.
I think ESPN on a la carte priced at $5-$9 a month is reasonable since it is an expensive channel (the most after premium channels?), but I think expecting consumers to pay the same price for Comedy Central or FX or CNN is ridiculous because it isn't a good value and doesn't reflect the actual cost to provide the channel.
