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Ala Carte Cable

 Only pay for the television channels you choose
  (+5)
(+5) 		  [vote for,
against]

I would like to be able to watch my favorite cable TV channels without having to pay for the rest of them. For one thing, it can get expensive (for a student), and for another I have no will power and would end up wasting hours of precious time watching crap just because it was on and mildly interesting. There should be an option that would allow you to choose a certain number of channels for a lower price each month. For example you might get 5 cable channels for $8 per month, 10 for $15, and so on. This way you wouldn't have to pay for a bunch of channels you'd never watch, and the cable companies would gain customers who would otherwise just keep the rabbit ears. It would also be great for parents who just want to let their kids watch educational and cartoon channels and not pay for (and subsequently 'block') accompanying adult channels.
—Blackanese, May 08 2002

Telewest cable in the UK http://www.telewest...ingthepackages.html
The different packages on offer at different prices. (Premium channels listed elsewhere; see link.) [pottedstu, May 09 2002]

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       How about being able to opt for particular channels on a pay-per-view basis if there is a particular program or movie one wishes to see but otherwise does not care for the channel?   

       Anyone who watches very much on a premium or semi-premium channel would be better off paying $10/month than $2/program, but if someone only wants to watch one or two shows a month, buying them à la carte may be quite sensible.
—supercat, May 08 2002
   

       I think that's been suggested, but it seems to me that that would require quite a lot of intricate programming on the part of the cable company, to the extent that it may not be profitable to them.
—Blackanese, May 08 2002
   

       In Britain, most cable and satellite TV operators appear to offer a variety of services from the basic with a limited number of channels up to a grand luxury package with many more, as well as a variety of pay-per-view services, and a set of premium channels which are each offered separately for an individual fee. I think what Blackanese is proposing already exists with many service providers.
—pottedstu, May 09 2002
   

       Indeed, Blackanese, this is baked.
—[ sctld ], May 12 2002
   


 

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