2 replies to this topic

[camay2327]

I would love to get just the channels we want to watch, if it would be cheaper.

 

4 Things John McCain's Cable Bill Would Mean for Subscribers

Sen. John McCain will fundamentally change television if his latest legislation succeeds: It would allow consumers to pay for only the channels they want to watch, instead of being forced to plunk down lots of cash for a full cable package of negligible offerings.

The Arizona Republican's bill faces lots of hurdles and will likely be subjected to fierce opposition from the cable industry, so passage is far from assured. Cable companies like the current system, because it allows them to force subscribers to pay for less popular channels if they want to keep watching ESPN.

Cable networks want to keep the status quo in place so they can continue bundling their top channels like AMC or MTV with their less desirable ones.

Before the mudslinging gets fierce, here's a look at four things that the legislation, dubbed the Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013, would accomplish -- besides potentially taking a big chunk out of Comcast's profits.

1. Let You Stop Paying for the Hallmark Channel

...or Ovation or WE TV or VH1 or Lifetime or OWN or,  depending on your political leanings, MSNBC or Fox News. The list goes on and on.

Buying channels on an a la carte basis would let users select only those channels that carry programming they actually want -- primarily sports, "Walking Dead" and "Duck Dynasty."

There are downsides, including creative ones. The television renaissance taking place around us is viable in part because media companies are making so much money from a fractured landscape. The 3 million viewers who tune in each week "Mad Men"s' meticulously crafted depiction of the 1960s may have to get used to more bargain-barrel production values when AMC's parent company is forced to sell its channels individually. After all, the money the company earns from bundling WE TV and Sundance helps make Don Draper's lifestyle possible.

 

// go to the below website for the rest //

 

http://tv.yahoo.com/...-145722767.html

 

 

 

[Homer]

I don't know how i feel about this, It would be nice to only pay for what i watch, However i don't know how some of the less popular channels will do with less potential viewers. This seems to have the potential to create unintended consequences. 

[The Average Joe]

I think it's a good THEORY, but the implementation will result in less choices and higher bills.