Would You Pay for HBO, Showtime or Other Pay Channels a la Carte?

by Fef Posted 2012/08/01 18:00:00

Related Topics: HBO, Showtime, Cable Companies, Cable Tv, TV

177 votes
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	I want those channels without a cable package!	88 votes	50%
	I want those channels with a cable package!	31 votes	18%
	I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!	58 votes	33%

Cable companies require subscription to their packages before you can subscribe to an individual pay channel such as HBO or Showtime. Would you want to bypass the cable company's package and subscribe to a single pay channel for a monthly fee? Or do you like having other channels offered by the cable companies like Bravo, Real TV, the History Channel, etc?

Alyssa Rosenberg writes for ThinkProgress: The biggest argument people who support the cable business model—or think it’s inevitable and immutable—make is that a lot of channels would go out of business if consumers had to select them individually from a menu rather than getting them as part of a bundle that subsidizes their production.

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KaelynnRose 2012/08/01 00:41:56

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

+5
I don't watch much television. I don't watch many movies either. That would require me to log off the internet. You wouldn't want that now would you? LOL
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More polls by Fef

DuncanONeil 2012/08/08 21:11:16

I want those channels without a cable package!

Actually the whole thing should be ala carte. Too often the channels I want are in completely separate packages!!

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GLaDOS 2012/08/03 23:58:42

I want those channels without a cable package!

Well, correction. I'd like there to be a cable package where you get to pick which ones you get, but, for the price, you get X-number of them.

I would probably get things like Bravo, The History Channel, TLC, the movie channels, etc.

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EricVanSingleton 2012/08/03 19:18:25

I want those channels without a cable package!

I would love to have the option of only paying for what I want to see. My cable bill looks like a car payment.

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james.bowman.146 2012/08/03 18:30:36

I want those channels without a cable package!

I have cable, but why would I ever want those channels with my cable package. I'll just take them free just in case I ever lose cable.

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RJeffreySavlov 2012/08/03 14:31:09

I want those channels without a cable package!

Only if they allow us to opt out of certain channels and deduct for them like OWN, foreign language and the religious channels .

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Dan 2012/08/03 14:18:25

I want those channels without a cable package!

Actualy, HBO and Showtime do not interest me. I think some of the channels listed as failing without being part of a package would do better a la carte. I know several people who do not want to pay for a package but would gladly pay for the individual channels they want.

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Bill G53 ~PWCM~JLA 2012/08/03 11:29:24

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

I need less TV, not more in my life and when I have seen offerings for some of the programming on those premium channels my response has typically been...meh.

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Stevethinks 2012/08/03 06:27:48

I want those channels without a cable package!

No, I don't have television.

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Jalysa Ellis 2012/08/03 03:51:53

I want those channels with a cable package!

I think FiOS has something like that already. IDK all I know is we get all the channels. We even got the Playboy channel when we first had it installed; my mom's face/ reaction when she stumbled upon it: Priceless.

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mae 2012/08/03 03:24:27

I want those channels with a cable package!

--works out cheaper to get the cable package for us.

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Diddley Squat 2012/08/03 00:12:36

I want those channels with a cable package!

I think it depends on what they cost.

Really, though, I agree with Rosenberg. We'd lose variety. Let's keep it like it is.

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Inquisitve Kat 2012/08/02 23:42:57

I want those channels with a cable package!

Other... I want a cable package where you choose which channels you want and which ones you don't, and pay accordingly.

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MOMMA THOMAS 2012/08/02 20:48:15

I want those channels without a cable package!

+1
...IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE COST OF INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS/EVENTS. IF THE TOTALS WOULD ADD UP TO MORE THAN THE PACKAGE DEAL, FORGET IT.

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Steve 2012/08/02 19:48:59

I want those channels without a cable package!

I would like to pick and choose if it saved me money

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Michael 2012/08/02 18:45:24

I want those channels without a cable package!

Choice is the most important thing for me.They don't do that though.They make you "Think" that you are making a selection.

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lucky 2012/08/02 15:37:23

I want those channels without a cable package!

Id rather pick and choose my own channels to watch. If some channels cant support themselves then maybe they shouldnt be in business.

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Kingarthurup 2012/08/02 05:45:40

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

I mainly have a distaste for HOBO

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mikeeonly 2012/08/02 04:30:59

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

I have enough channels without those

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us 2012/08/02 01:54:01

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

We use to have the movie channels but they play same movies over and over agains sometime not new ones. I tired of all of them cable, dish network, direct tv, I'm tired of
so many home shopping network, food channels. that should buy choice.

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nbarton2 2012/08/02 01:39:29

I want those channels without a cable package!

If cable would let me pay for the channels that I want then I would get it but to pay 150 a month for channels that I won't use is kind of ridiculous when there is internet.

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chamchamgal 2012/08/02 00:09:59

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

I just want my Netflix and Syfy

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gregaj7 2012/08/01 23:47:39

I want those channels without a cable package!

Your choices doesn't leave me room for a 'none-of-the-above' answer. I won't pay for a television signal at all.

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EmoKiss:3 2012/08/01 23:34:13

I want those channels without a cable package!

I already have it for free ;)

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JohnT 2012/08/01 23:14:53

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

I have cable but don't have any of those. I used to years ago when the cable system was Viacom, but we noticed we did not watch that much on showtime or HBO so canceled them. We don't watch that much TV so to heck with all the extra nothing.

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bryguy 2012/08/01 21:46:29

I want those channels without a cable package!

I really like some of the stuff on HBO but most of the shows/channels on TV are garbage.

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Wm Kabrich 2012/08/01 21:24:16

I want those channels without a cable package!

I want TV on demand and let good show go and drop the nelsons. Let the peoples money speak what shows are made not the corporations. If people like it let them pay $0.50 or $1.00 per episode. if they get a million viewers then they will make money if not then they will not make the show.

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Heisenberg 2012/08/01 20:37:45

I want those channels with a cable package!

+1
Sometimes I like to watch Game of thrones.

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sokoyah 2012/08/01 20:01:56

I want those channels without a cable package!

I think ala carte is better but it would probably be more expensive

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LdyLeo 2012/08/01 20:00:00

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

I took Showtime and the other channels off so I can lower my cable bill, but I still keep HBO because I watch True Blood.

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smitty 2012/08/01 19:58:26

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

Depends on the cost. Getting a little fed up with it. I get 800 channels and watch maybe 10. Just don't it on the Verizon model or I will cancel it too.

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Skar 2012/08/01 19:23:18

I want those channels with a cable package!

It drives down the overall cost to the consumer, however I think that cable packages are too over priced and cable companies reward loyalty by price gouging you. The longer you are with them the more your monthly bill goes up. That's why I don't have cable TV, just internet and anything I can't get on Netflix I download

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smitty to Skar 2012/08/01 19:59:43

+1
I am working on that model too. I got off my land line finally. I just have to talk the wife into it. They cable companies and cell phone companys are drilling people hard.

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FordCrews 2012/08/01 19:20:43

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

I want all channels a la carte. Screw paying over 1/3 of my basic package price for espn I'll never watch. Or better yet, let's do flat rate cable, like netflix, and if 95% of my time is on hbo, they get 95% of the part of the bill that goes to content providers.

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littlebuffalo55TBA 2012/08/01 19:09:20

I want a cable package... but I don't want those channels!

I actually see the point but as I now have NetFlix and Bill Mahars beady eyes and stale jokes are worn out I have no need.

But yes....the model cable companies use is not one that serves their customers as much as their channel contractors!

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cents-less 2012/08/01 19:08:04

I want those channels without a cable package!

I think it would be great if I could just get and pay for the channels I want to watch.

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Professor Wizard 2012/08/01 19:05:03

I want those channels without a cable package!

I want - - what ever is the cheapest way to get them.

In my case, it was cheaper to get the package which included some channels I did not want - - then to buy just the channels I wanted!

Go figure!

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thє вluє wαndєrєr 2012/08/01 18:24:45 (edited)
Inquisi... to thє вlu... 2012/08/02 23:44:37

Wouldn't fly around here, everything is digital.

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thє вlu... to Inquisi... 2012/08/03 00:19:45
Inquisi... to thє вlu... 2012/08/03 03:41:26

+1
I am now informed. ;-)

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