If cable ever goes a la carte

[BeastMan]

What cable channels are you buying? This is sports related because so much of our viewing is tied to sporting events. Let's assume a few things just for sake of argument in this thread. Let's assume that each channel cost you $5. Let's also assume that you can have an antenna for local channels/news. What would you a la carte lineup in your house look like (wives and/or children would greatly impact your list I'm sure). You also have to take in to account your limit you're going to spend.

My a la carte cable that would cost me a flat $100. This would give me enough sports and the wife enough of her stuff plus a few filler stations we both like:

1. ESPN
2. ESPN2
3. ESPNU
4. SECN
5. CNN
6. E!
7. VICELAND
8. Discovery
9. Travel
10. Spike
11. MTV
12. VH1
13. A&E
14. TLC
15. HBO
16. AMC
17. Animal Planet
18. History
19. truTV
20. Food Network

[starkvegasdawg]

1. The ESPN family except ESPN classic
2. AMC
3. USA
4. Food Network
5. Cooking Channel
6. All those channels that play movies that all have one of two plots that for some reason women love to watch. ( woman meet guy, falls for guy, something happens to cause them to break up [usually the jealous ex of the guy] only to work it all out at the very end or successful career woman has to go back to her small hometown, had issues with her mom growing up, gets drug into some project or festival with small home town, starts to work things out with mom, gets into a fight, leaves to go back to big city home, but comes back at very end to finish the project and reconcile with mom)
7. All the Nickelodeon and Disney channels my kids have to have.
8. Discovery
9. TLC
10. Fox Sports
11. Sports South
12. Weather Channel
13. Fox News
14. One or two more I am forgetting

[BeardoMSU]

1. Espn, Espn2, EspnU
2. SECN (only 'cause I have to)
3. Fox Sports
4. CBS/ABC (just for the sports)
4. Comedy Central
5. Food Network
6. Cooking Channel
7. The Travel Channel
8. HBO

[BeastMan]

I completely forgot about food network. Complete oversight

[PassInterference]

The average prices of ESPN today is already $40 of your cable bill. ESPN is the most expensive ingredient in your average cable/sat package. Believe it or not, a ton of people do not watch ESPN but are still paying that $40 because its built into their bill.

If ESPN was totally ala carte, the price would be a lot higher than $40. ESPN would need to make up for that lost $40 being paid by all those non-ESPN customers. I see the rate going to $80-$100/month.

[louisvilledawg]

1.ESPN
2.ESPN 2
3.ESPNU
4.SECN
5.FS1
6.MLB
7.NFL
8.GOLF CHANNEL
9. WEATHER CHANNEL
10. FOX NEWS

My wife doesn't watch a ton of tv, mostly netflix. We don't have any kids yet so I would come out pretty good if this deal were available

[BeastMan]

The average prices of ESPN today is already $40 of your cable bill. ESPN is the most expensive ingredient in your average cable/sat package. Believe it or not, a ton of people do not watch ESPN but are still paying that $40 because its built into their bill.

If ESPN was totally ala carte, the price would be a lot higher than $40. ESPN would need to make up for that lost $40 being paid by all those non-ESPN customers. I see the rate going to $80-$100/month.

It's $11 for ESPN 1 I read recently. That is also why I said, "FOR ARGUMENTS SAKE OF THIS THREAD LETS SAY EVERY CHANNEL IS $5". I heard on a podcast recently that the avg channel price is $4.60. If you think cable went a la carte & ESPN would charge $100 a month, you've lost it. People wouldn't do that. ESPN would adjust to the market.

[starkvegasdawg]

I completely forgot about food network. Complete oversight

If my little girl couldn't watch chopped junior and my wife lost Pioneer Woman it would be a bad day in my household. There would be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

[sleepy dawg]

It'd be cheaper for me to get a package. My package now is only like $60. It's all the other fees and taxes that drive my bill up over $100.

[BeardoMSU]

If my little girl couldn't watch chopped junior and my wife lost Pioneer Woman it would be a bad day in my household. There would be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

There was a kid from Starkville on Chopped Jr. awhile back. He got "chopped" for overcooking his venison, which unfortunately, happens regularly in 99% of households in the south. That's how I grew up eating it.

[Beaver]

1. ESPN
2. ESPN 2
3. SECN
4. FS1
5. NBCSN (for Premier League)
6. NFL Network
7. TNT
8. TBS
9. USA
10. AMC
11. Travel
12. Food Network
13. HGTV
14. Weather
15. Sports South
16. Discovery
17. CNN
18. Fox News
19. TLC
20. History
21-25. Local affiliates

[BeastMan]

It'd be cheaper for me to get a package. My package now is only like $60. It's all the other fees and taxes that drive my bill up over $100.

My question is based on the possibility that cable not offering packages any more and you having to pick your channels. It's being discussed as a possible reaction to the growing number of folks who are cutting the cord.

[starkvegasdawg]

There was a kid from Starkville on Chopped Jr. awhile back. He got "chopped" for overcooking his venison, which unfortunately, happens regularly in 99% of households in the south. That's how I grew up eating it.

We know him. His family used to go to our church.

[Taog Redloh]

The average prices of ESPN today is already $40 of your cable bill. ESPN is the most expensive ingredient in your average cable/sat package. Believe it or not, a ton of people do not watch ESPN but are still paying that $40 because its built into their bill.

If ESPN was totally ala carte, the price would be a lot higher than $40. ESPN would need to make up for that lost $40 being paid by all those non-ESPN customers. I see the rate going to $80-$100/month.

Yep. Price is never going to be a primary driver long term because the TV industry will adapt. They are going to get their money. Honestly I pay $150 for expanded cable (no HBO, Showtime, etc.) and internet right now and that's probably about as good as it gets (after promotions run out).

If it's not the cable, they'll get you with data limits.

[Political Hack]

ESPN the Ocho
HBO
CBS
ABC
Fox
CNN
history
History 2
AMC
FX
fXX
Animal Planet
discovery
nat geo
NFL
MLB
FoxSports
Starz

That's close but I'm sure I'm missing a few.

[Liverpooldawg]

If it ever goes to that you will pay a LOT more for it. Online will match the price eventually too.

[HSVDawg]

This doesn't really answer your question, but $5 per channel would be ridiculously expensive. I'd rather continue paying the $130 / month I'm currently paying for the 250+ channels with DirecTV than pay $100 for only 20 channels. ESPN is the only basic cable network that charges more to providers than like $1.50 per channel, and they only charge in the $6 to $8 range for a bundle that includes 4 channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and whatever regional college football network is applicable to the area). If $5 per channel is the cost, then a la carte will never catch on as most will recognize the current providers as a better bargain.

[HSVDawg]

The average prices of ESPN today is already $40 of your cable bill. ESPN is the most expensive ingredient in your average cable/sat package. Believe it or not, a ton of people do not watch ESPN but are still paying that $40 because its built into their bill.

If ESPN was totally ala carte, the price would be a lot higher than $40. ESPN would need to make up for that lost $40 being paid by all those non-ESPN customers. I see the rate going to $80-$100/month.

As of 2014, providers were only paying in the neighborhood of $6 to $8 per month per subscriber for the ESPN family of networks. Then the providers were the ones marking it up to $30-40 per month. It's not realistic to expect that cost to be even higher when you remove the middle man mark-up by going to a la carte. It's likely that ESPN might be up to $5 per channel, so $20/month for the bundle. But everything else would be way cheaper than that. It would have to be in order to justify the business model. You can currently get around 20-25 channels per month with Sling / Roku for only around $25 per month. I think something in the neighborhood of $50 per month for that same number of channels + ESPN Networks is about as high of a price point as you can get in order for a la carte to be viable. Otherwise, the status quo with the existing providers will remain.

ETA: You can now get about 40 channels including just about all the popular cable networks plus all the ESPN's on SlingTV for only $45 per month. So that is further justification that the $5 per month a la carte is not even remotely competitive.

[RocketDawg]

What cable channels are you buying? This is sports related because so much of our viewing is tied to sporting events. Let's assume a few things just for sake of argument in this thread. Let's assume that each channel cost you $5. Let's also assume that you can have an antenna for local channels/news. What would you a la carte lineup in your house look like (wives and/or children would greatly impact your list I'm sure). You also have to take in to account your limit you're going to spend.

My a la carte cable that would cost me a flat $100. This would give me enough sports and the wife enough of her stuff plus a few filler stations we both like:

1. ESPN
2. ESPN2
3. ESPNU
4. SECN
5. CNN
6. E!
7. VICELAND
8. Discovery
9. Travel
10. Spike
11. MTV
12. VH1
13. A&E
14. TLC
15. HBO
16. AMC
17. Animal Planet
18. History
19. truTV
20. Food Network

I would take a lot of yours, but also drop some of them. I'd add Smithsonian, Nat Geo, The Weather, etc. And drop Viceland (useless channel in my opinion).

Dish supposedly has some sort of a la carte, but it's in packages instead of individual channels.

[Johnson85]

What cable channels are you buying? This is sports related because so much of our viewing is tied to sporting events. Let's assume a few things just for sake of argument in this thread. Let's assume that each channel cost you $5. Let's also assume that you can have an antenna for local channels/news. What would you a la carte lineup in your house look like (wives and/or children would greatly impact your list I'm sure). You also have to take in to account your limit you're going to spend.

My a la carte cable that would cost me a flat $100. This would give me enough sports and the wife enough of her stuff plus a few filler stations we both like:

1. ESPN
2. ESPN2
3. ESPNU
4. SECN
5. CNN
6. E!
7. VICELAND
8. Discovery
9. Travel
10. Spike
11. MTV
12. VH1
13. A&E
14. TLC
15. HBO
16. AMC
17. Animal Planet
18. History
19. truTV
20. Food Network

SEC Network package (So I guess every ESPN except classic, plus SECN)
AMC
HGTV
Food Network
Disney Jr.

I could probably drop Disney Jr. and just use netflix. Of course I could probably drop everything but sports and just buy series al a carte from Amazon and do better.

[Lumpy Chucklelips]

Here's your al a carte

http://cordcuttersnews.com/turvi-tv-new-sling-tv-like-service-coming-promise-la-carte-tv/

My problem with cutting the cord is getting local channels. I've read mixed reviews on external antenna's. Plus my wife is not going to let me put a metal pole on my roof. All I know is I'm paying way too much for Direct.

[starkvegasdawg]

Here's your al a carte

http://cordcuttersnews.com/turvi-tv-new-sling-tv-like-service-coming-promise-la-carte-tv/

My problem with cutting the cord is getting local channels. I've read mixed reviews on external antenna's. Plus my wife is not going to let me put a metal pole on my roof. All I know is I'm paying way too much for Direct.

Call and threaten to switch. See what dish or major cable companies are offering as introductory packages. I did that and went from $130/month to $67 for a year. It's amazing the discounts you suddenly qualify for when you threaten to quit.

[Taog Redloh]

Call and threaten to switch. See what dish or major cable companies are offering as introductory packages. I did that and went from $130/month to $67 for a year. It's amazing the discounts you suddenly qualify for when you threaten to quit.

Better be prepped to follow through. I've had them call my bluff to the point that they nearly cancelled my service.