Related Video Thread: A La Carte Cable

[filkertom]

Something I've wanted for a long time, and which ComCrap will never serve up, is a la carte channels: paying, say, half the price you pay for all-inclusive cable, to get only local broadcast and ten to fifteen of the channels you want.

So, what channels would you get? If you want a major broadcast channel that's not in your geographic region, e.g., WGN Chicago, that counts as a cable channel for this. My list would include:

• The SciFi Channel
• Cartoon Network
• Food TV
• BBC America
• The Discovery Channel
• The History Channel
• A&E
• CNN Headline (but not CNN)
• The Weather Channel
• C-Span
• Bravo
• Sundance
• Ovation
• American Movie Classics
• Turner Classic Movies

Comments

[barbarakitten-t.livejournal.com]

all those plus soapnet and the n (nogen) (i'm hooked on degrassi)

[tpau]

i'd add History International, the Military Chanel, the N(canadian i think), Independant movie chanel, and all the ESPNs(for the figure scating) :)

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

Well, I have to take into consideration Diana and Sabrina, so our family would need the following (and why)

• The SciFi Channel (Galactica)
  
• Cartoon Network (most for Sabrina, but JL and Adult Swim.. yea!)
  
• Food TV (Alton Alton Alton)
  
• BBC America (Cash in the Attic, Life Laundry, Coupling etc)
  
• TLC (All of it..)
  
• The Discovery Channel (MYTHBUSTERS!, Dr. G)
  
• The History Channel (Just Cause)
  
• A&E (Just Cause)
  
• CNN Headline (Quick News)
  
• Bravo (Queer Eye, Project Runway and more)
  
• VH1 (Surprising number of wacky shows)
  
• Animal Planet (I have an artist in the house, Animal Cops:
  
• Disney Channel (Kim Possible!)
  
• Comedy Central (DAILY SHOW!)
  
• Travel Channel (Vicarious travel)
  
• Discovery Health (Diana's fave.. medical shows and more of them)
  
• Boomerang (The old cartoons.. Sabrina is in love with old WB and Popeye)
  
• NASA (Gotta have me jargon!)
  
• HBO (Deadwood, Rome, etc)
  
• Showtime (Dead Like Me, Carnival (I know.. they're off the air.. but something like them MIGHT come back!
  

[eternalmaiden.livejournal.com]

Carnivale was on HBO, fyi. :D

[bald-ruminant.livejournal.com]

Cartoon Network
Comedy Central
SciFi Channel
Outdoor Life Network (NHL coverage)
USA just in case the WWE ever gets good enough to bother watching again

And that's why I don't bother to have cable anymore. I don't even want the baggage that comes with basic cable. I just want my local channels and those ones right there.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

I want to be able to change the channels I'm subscribed to in real-time, using my TV remote.

Heck, I want to be able to change the SHOWS I'm subscribed to. Why pay for something I'll never watch? I don't want the makers of some channel to think they're Da Bomb because they have one or two brilliant shows that everyone wants to watch, and another 22 hours of sewer backwash. Let them know which ones are good, so they will put on more like it and less of the Grass Growing And Paint Drying Telethon.

"Oh," they say, "but how will you ever know about our WONDERFUL new shows if you don't accidentally stumble across them while channel-surfing or reading TV Guide?"

Well, there's word of mouth. And there are genre indexes. And there are Amazon.com-style "people who subscribed to this show also subscribed to show X" stats-mining comparators. And there's the old "Watch the first episode (or three) FREE" promotions. And there's STILL TV Guide and stock packages for those who want them.

But come on, guys. Soon everyone's just going to be filtering their cable feed through their PVRs and stripping everything they don't want anyway (including ads, station breaks, you name it). Move with the times. Somewhere, someone wants their MTV - they're just not willing to buy the other eleventy-nine shows you've bundled with it.

It's the twenty-first century, and we want our micro-customised everything.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Got that right. How much you want to bet that, at some point in the next two years, a popular show goes to broadband subscription only, so that all the revenue comes from online advertisers and direct viewers, and a bunch of other shows follow suit?

[devospice.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. I firmly believe is where broadcasting is going. We're going to be able to subscribe to the shows that we want- or the channels- download the episodes when they become available, and watch them when we want. It may take a while to go mainstream and may not fully catch on until you can do this with a set top box and your TV remote, but it will happen.

We recently cut down our cable to save money. Our main TV still gets up to channel 82 I think, but all the other TVs are stuck with 2-22- half of which are pretty much useless to me. All the networks are in there, but I also get a spanish channel, a KOREAN channel, at least 2 but possibly 3 religious channels, and of course, the TV Guide channel, so I can see for myself that there's nothing on.

->Later.....Spice

[almeda.livejournal.com]

The only problem here is those pesky folks (like me) still stuck on 56K links. Downloading anything over a meg in size is an all night proposition.

Then again, I'm also one of the 17% of the country who *doesn't* pay for TV, either cable or satellite or whatever, so I presume I'm not the demographic being aimed at.

[almeda.livejournal.com]

Honestly? Cable TV can make all these cool risky new shows that the broadcast channels would never touch BECAUSE they get your money every month regardless of whether you're watching. It frees them from having to 'teach to the test' every single month and cancel the more nichey stuff immediately *cough*FOX*cough*.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Not everyone will want to spend the time to customise their individual shows. Heck, not everyone will want to spend the time (and learn the commands) to customise their individual channels. Especially the mass-market, basic service demographic, as custom real-time channel/show programming will cost extra (probably stratospheric at first). We'll still be paying the same (or more) than most subscribers - the only different will be that when switch on the TV, there will be something we like on.

We could do that now with a feed of all the channels/shows we want, plus a front-end system something like a PVR, which knows intelligently which shows you want recorded and which channels are showing something you like at any given moment. I just want to know if the cable companies want to pander to that demographic. For example: if I bought all the channel packages which had shows on that I liked, it might cost me ten times what I'd pay for a basic package, and I'd only watch a couple of percent of the content. If the cable company comes to the party and offers those channels or shows to me for an 80% discount, I'd still be paying double the standard package rate. As I'm paying nothing now, the cable company makes more money.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Blast. DifferenCE.

[cktraveler.livejournal.com]

Ever since Cartoon Network turned into Traduttore, Traditore Network and Disney cancelled Kim Possible, about the only channel I can just turn on and watch is Spike (for Trek and Buffy).

If it were up to me we'd probably cancel cable; I guess I'm just not a TV person. There are still good shows out there, but I'd still rather wait until I can rent or buy the season DVDs.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Which is why, after all, I got rid of cable and never looked back until today... and today only in speculation.

Gimme online.

[blackpaladin.livejournal.com]

Hmm... you know, now that I think about it, most of what I watch is either broadcast TV or a few select cable channels. In approximate order of importance:

• Cartoon Network (this is my "go-to" channel)
  
• ESPN/ESPN2
  
• SciFi (BSG)
  
• Bravo (all-West-Wing-all-the-time)
  
• NFL Network (yes, I'm a football nut)
  
• Comedy Central
  
• ABC Family (Whose Line)
  
• MSNBC (Countdown with Keith Olbermann)
  
• Food Network (for the occasional bout of Iron Chef)
  
• Digital Music channels (yay background music)

<looks over my list> wow... I'm kind of an uncultured swine... ^_^;

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Since when? Except for the sports networks, I can get into all those, for exactly the same reasons -- although, when I had digital cable, I only listened to one, count 'em, one music channel -- Light Classical -- and now I've got dozens of online classical radio stations.

[ororo.livejournal.com]

I'd take all those plus TNT & USA. Gotta have my L&O fixes.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

I would like to be able to NOT have and NOT pay for sports channels, which I truly never watch.

CNN has its uses when you really want that wall-to-wall coverage on events out of town. The Los Angeles O&O's are good for the local stuff of course -- 4 out of the 6 English Language VHF stations went wall-to-wall on that plan landing without the landing gear the other day -- but there really is a world outside SoCal. Really.

Cartoon Network has another outlet called "Boomerang" which specializes in non-recent cartoons, no earlier than talkies and no later than early 1970's, largely from the MGM and Warner Bros. owned library. Popeye, Bugs Bunny, Jonny Quest, Scooby Doo. I would really like them to dig up the old Betty Boops but you can't have everything. Now those were solid proof that MTV did not invent the music video! I may go post my Toonage Playlist over in my journal. Seeya later.

[louisadkins.livejournal.com]

Ya know, there is a group that has released a "collections" set of older cartoons, including Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, and such. I picked up a couple of the set at my local Wal-Mart (Evil!, er..) for $1 per disc. The quality isn't all that great, no touch up at all, but I am so happy to be giving the 2 1/2 year old a more .. varied cartoon spread.

[mrteapot.livejournal.com]

I saw a study that found that people who get ~30 channels tend to only watch 5 to 7 of those. People with ~200 channels watch... 5 to 7 of those (numbers may be misremembered). There's a natural point where you only watch so many things on cable, and making us pay for any more is just greediness on the cable company's part. There are regular bills submitted to Congress that would require the cable company to sell each channel individually, but they never seem to pass. I expect that the situation will only improve once market pressures make the current system unprofitable, and with TiVo, Netflix and internet videocasts of TV shows this point may come relatively soon.

So what I want: Cartoon Network, Comedy Central (for the Daily Show), Food Network, Discovery and TLC, the History Channel, Bravo, IFC, Sundance, AMC and TCM.

[jss]

Most of my TV these days is Food Network, with occasional forays to Cartoon Network (Futurama, Family Guy), whichever local affiliate's got The Simpsons on, the Weather channel, ESPN/ESPN2/FXSN/Travel (poker: it's useful as background noise), and GSN (mainly for Match Game). And every so often, something on USA or Lifetime (usually old sitcoms as more background noise).

[jss]

And (of course) Sci-Fi, Bravo, and Comedy Central. d'Oh. Can't believe I forgot those. :)

[almeda.livejournal.com]

Scifi
Cartoon Network
A&E
History Channel
that Dinosaur one that Animal Planet spun off
Food TV
BBC America
At least two C-Spans (for when I feel like checking up on our legislators directly)
HBO (for Six Feet Under, Dead Like Me, etc, mostly - Yes, I know this is a premium channel. I want PREMIUM ala-carte too, instead of in bundles, as long as we're dreaming)
Really good cable reception for Gary PBS, channel 56, which theoretically I can get free-over-the-air but really only when the weather's good.

[que-sara-sara.livejournal.com]

You forgot History International and Boomerang. Not to mention Discovery Times, The Science Channel (formerly Discovery Science), and The Travel Channel (because haunted Fridays are almost a necessity in my life right now).

[kengr]

Something I've wanted for a long time, and which ComCrap will never serve up, is a la carte channels: paying, say, half the price you pay for all-inclusive cable, to get only local broadcast and ten to fifteen of the channels you want.

Not gonna happen. It's not *possible* on analog cable, because the only way to do it *and* prevent folks from just watching the other channels anyway by using a splitter on their cable and connecting a cable ready set would be to install filters for *all* the channels you aren't getting. Which would severely mess with signal quality and be a royal pain to install.

On digital, it might be possible, but it'd still be a pain to set up and administer. And if I understand the way advertising revenue goes, it'd cost the cable company *and* the channels money.

In fact, according to some folks I know who work in the industry, quite often the contracts for non-premium channels require that you have to have them as a bundle. To get channel A, you have to provide B & C as well.

[ldwheeler.livejournal.com]

My picks would be as follows:

The History Channel
SciFi Channel (though it's always seemed better in concept than in execution, but that's true of almost everything)
Cartoon Network
C-SPAN
CNN
Turner Classic Movies
Bravo
A&E
Food Channel
Comedy Central
ESPN (solely for AL East games -- specifically Red Sox and Blue Jays)
And my oddball choice: CMT. For all the contrived new-country crapola on there, there's usually a few golden moments of quality buried in the schedule.

This is presuming I actually had time to watch anything. *Sigh.*

Now, my mother would be happy if the cable dial consisted entirely of Home & Garden, Food Channel, Travel Network, Animal Planet (all the lifestyle channels) and whatever station it is that plays endless reruns of Law & Order ...

[ruisseau.livejournal.com]

Local channels for both Simpsons reruns and new eps of House and CSI
Cartoon Network
Comedy Central
E! (The Soup is hilarious and it also has SNL reruns)
BBC America
Whatever Canadian channel has the new Dr. Who
The N! (that's nighttime Noggin, for Daria)
Weather Channel
Discovery
History
A&E (have you seen Airline? omg so funny)
GSN (for Ben Stein reruns and late night Street Smarts, also Family Feud and Match Game)

[druidsfire.livejournal.com]

*points to her commentary on a la carte channels in Tom's prev post*

I get all the channels cos I'm An Employee (ooo - the biggest perk is free HSD, but yeah)

I watch 2 channels. 2. I watch CBS for NCIS - I'll watch anything Don Bellisario makes, and I watch SFC for the two Stargates and BSG.

For 'occasional surfing', I'd add BBC America (wish they'd bloody well show Dr. Who), PBS, CNN (I need a good laugh), Discovery, History, History International, the Science/Learning channels, Boomerang (I HATE NEW CARTOONS comma DAMMIT). VH1 Classic (back when videos were interesting), and the Soundscapes Music Choice channel (great ambient music for moving or doing housework)

That's it.

Tho I will admit that I'd still pay for my DVR if I had to. Love love love the DVR. TV on my time, goldarnit.

[arensb.livejournal.com]

It looks as though no one's dream channel lineup includes ESPN 1 through 16, nor twenty-six home-shopping channels. Why is that, I wonder?

two different answers

[nezmaster.livejournal.com]

1> Because we are geeks, not sports fans. I know plenty of people that could not live without their espn, and who watch nothing else. If I ahd made a list, espn2 would be on it. (poker)...I'm not sure where the x-games are, but we watch that too.
2> because no one wants shopping channels, but since the shopping channels pay the satelite company, I'm for it. I'll take seventy and ignore them, if it means they lower my satelite bill.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

* The SciFi Channel
* Cartoon Network
* BBC America
* The Discovery Channel (and all the little Discovery spin offs)
* The History Channel
* The Learning Channel
* A&E
* CNN Headline
* MSNBC
* Bravo
* American Movie Classics
* Turner Classic Movies
* F/X
* ESPN
* Fox Sports - Bay Area

[louisadkins.livejournal.com]

Pretty much all the channels I would want are covered in this discussion, already, though if there was a 24 hour Anime Channel (there use to be one) I would also opt for it...

[mg4h.livejournal.com]

Cartoon, Sci-fi, Comedy, Discovery, History, Learning.

That would more than keep me busy. Screw all the rest, I don't need 'em ;)

[bardicwench.livejournal.com]

* The SciFi Channel
* Cartoon Network
* Food TV
* BBC America
* The Discovery Channel
* The History Channel
* A&E
* CNN Headline (but not CNN)
* The Weather Channel
* C-Span
* Bravo
* Sundance
* Ovation
* American Movie Classics
* Turner Classic Movies

Damn... I have to agree with your list.... everything on it! *g*

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

No Comedy Central? Wow...
And I thought you liked The Daily Show.

They would have to charge MORE.

[nezmaster.livejournal.com]

See you did not include any shopping channels, channels they get paid for carrying. If you could choosen not to have them, you'd lose money. There are some channels with late nitght paid advertising that you also wouldn't add to your ala carte. So, by having those channels, and ignoring them, you save money.

You can create 'guides' on satelite, so that you can truly lock out all channels you don't want. You aren't paying them for half those channels on your guide, they are paying the satelite company for you to carry them. The more people that carry them, the less your subscriptions cost.

Besides what if a new channel comes out that you aren't aware of.

My tastes are so eclectic, I'd end up with most of the channels anyway, usually for about one show. OLN runs survivor for crissake, which I actually like. (I consider it a larp on an island).

Between the seven of us in the house about teh only channels we never watch are ppv, and shopping channels. I even watch ESPN for poker, and my dauaghter for x-games.

Anecdote that doesn't seem to be related but is:

I used to work next to a Subway when I ran a video store. I ate there every day for years. I leanred that Subway franchise rules, limit them to having only 20 something things on their actual menu, even though they actually have hundreds of things available. Subway carries veggie burgers, saur kraut (at least the two near my stores did). The subway chain thinks offering choices to their customers is a bad idea. Foo. When I Want to watch tv, I like scanning through stations I don't ordinairly watch to see what else is in teh universe. I like having choices.
I have found a station that at night is kind of an extra IFC Channel. They ahve drinking games and wierd indie films. I'd have never subscribed to this 'english as a second language' station, but I really like it.
So that's my .02 on the subject.