Will cable ever go the route of a pick-the-channels-you-want model?

No. It's not cable you have to worry about anymore. It's your ISP.

We are moving to TV over internet so that's where they'll get you. We'll have boxes like AppleTV, Roku, etc. and have to pay networks directly for monthly content along with the ISP delivering the shows.

HBO going paid for service was a huge step in this direction. Netflix was the first.

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since HBO made their latest announcement.

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which was?

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HBO going paid for service was a huge step in this direction

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Here is a thread about it.

Isn't CBS launching a paid subscription service?


I think it will eventually come to this. More and more people are cutting the cord. I think eventually the networks you listed will just have to adapt.

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Isn't CBS launching a paid subscription service?

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Yes, but people are finding that buying multiple services can add up to more than what they were paying for cable/satellite.

And CBS is free for almost everyone, so you'd be better off getting an antennae and a DVR.

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Idk what these channels charge now.. but I would guess they would need to charge 5-10 times the current per subscriber rates in some instances. It wouldn't make sense and would be actually worse for us as the consumer.

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But in 95% of cases the current subscriber rate is under a dollar.

But If I can pay AMC a flat fee and watch any episode, any time I want to watch it, they can have 5 bucks.

The issue with that is going to be a "membership" to 10 different channels. Roku should start Developing a model where they can have one "profile" that can be attached to those channels so I don't have to connect each one, I just pay Roku. Or something centralized for pay services IF the cable companies don't do it.

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Prices would get outrageous. Quick google search...Comedy Central costs $0.16 per month. But let's say it's available in 80 million homes right now (again just guessing). That's $12.8 mil in subscriber fees. But how many of that 80 mil watch Comedy Central? 5% maybe? That's probably generous. That means Comedy Central would need to charge $3.20 per customer to net the same revenue.

And espn? Wow. It currently is already over $5/month. You could be talking maybe $30-$40 per month just for that one channel.

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Well yeah, it's going to make channels become more aware of what they do. I think the quality of ESPN would go up and you'd get a smaller group of channels for about $15-20.

The high quality niche channels, like Comedy Central, will stay and make money, and probably get better. The low quality channels will be nixed. And the high priced channels, which is really like Disney and ESPN, will have to lower their margins and make better channels. We'll have less choice, probably, but I think better choice. Let's be honest, outside of actual games, ESPN sucks big time. History Channel? Sucks. Discover? Sucks. et al. The world could use less reality television. Half of all channels are doing some form of reality show at any hour of the day. It's terrible.

How many real high quality channels are on cable? We need more AMC's and far less Bravo's.



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Prices would get outrageous. Quick google search...Comedy Central costs $0.16 per month. But let's say it's available in 80 million homes right now (again just guessing). That's $12.8 mil in subscriber fees. But how many of that 80 mil watch Comedy Central? 5% maybe? That's probably generous. That means Comedy Central would need to charge $3.20 per customer to net the same revenue. Say it's 2% who watch CC. They then would need to charge $8!

And espn? Wow. It currently is already over $5/month. You could be talking maybe $30-$40 per month just for that one channel

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I understand that they will need charge more to maintain their current margins, but at some point if everyone disconnects from cable, will they not have a choice to either adapt or die? If people are willing to get rid of those channels, people aren't going to be willing to pay the crazy prices you just listed. The ball is then in the networks court.

Obviously that is over-exaggeration, but that is where I think people are eventually headed. People are more and more willing to go without these services.

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That's why I don't see it happening.

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Customers are already switching. Sure it isn't a critical mass yet, but it's going to get there; it will be innovate or die. And everyone is susceptible to that. Even ABC/Disney.

They have to shift the business model with the times. It's really that simple. Record Labels, more powerful in their industry than Disney is, had to do it. Disney/ABC will too.

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It's not cable you have to worry about anymore. It's your ISP.

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YEp

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We are moving to TV over internet so that's where they'll get you

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Exactly.

"Want alacarte cable? Oh, well you need the special streaming tier of our internet service for only $99.95/month."