Cable Costs

Completely ala carte would likely increase prices, not lower them.

As it stands now, the packages do two things. 1) they give the garbage channels a cut of the action. That's the part everyone focuses on. 2) They guarantee the big channels access to a huge number of viewers. That guarantee to potential viewers actually lowers the cost of the major channels.

Go ala carte and the garbage channels will die off while the big channels get more expensive. The channels in between would likely die off and come back as webisodes or internet broadcasts for their popular shows while the unpopular stuff dies. AMC and The Walking Dead would be example, the rest of AMC's programming generates little revenue and would likely be cancelled. That means you're now in a nickel and dime situation where you're paying for individual shows on top of major channels. By the time you had everything you wanted, you'd be paying more.

Thats why TV is dying and the companies are desperately clinging on whilst trying to jack up prices to make up for lost money which in turn turns even more people away.
Just like what happened with the music industry, we don't need greedy middle men anymore and people are sick of advertising, they fucked themselves with greed.

I know I'm tired of having like 500 channels and there is never anything to watch. On the rare occasion you do find something it is repeated over and over. They even show the same damn movies on Lifetime but change the title like it's gonna fool you.

The packages supposedly subsidize those channels we never watch, but somebody dies.

Totally agree. We probably watch less than 10 channels routinely.

What''s even more irksome is when they place that one channel you want to watch, in the most exhorbanantly priced packaged filled with channels you could care less about.

I cut the cord long ago.
There is enough on Netflix and YouTube to keep me entertained.
Many people use Android boxes.

Here are the assinine profit margins. HBO lets say costs Comcast. 15 cents per customer. With a return of 13 dollars or so per person. I understand business is about a return. But DAMN. Thats why things are so fucked up.

I normally only use a antenna, although I have a cheap ($100.00) laptop hooked to the tv also

They could DO exactly that but they think packages are more profitable

Get a fyrestick

Im going Roku