Sony has been quietly working to reach deals with content companies.
The idea would be pay for only the channels you want, In an idea to battle cable & dish tv.
Apple is another entrant in this battle that is trying to reach deals with companies.
Sony owning music ,tv and movie studios could be a major player in this race.

Only one problem
The cable companies control the pipes. They deliver your TV and they deliver your Internet. If you stop paying for TV, they will just jack up your Internet bill. And so, any savings you might get from Sony would ultimately be wiped out.



What are your thoughts on this? In 2006 a cable bill was 32.00    now  a monthly cable bill is 80.00 this is just redick. No wonder why Netflix is gaining so much
attention.

Let me be the first person to partake in it!!!!

You can already watch TV from your computer.

Let me be the first person to partake in it!!!!


Imagine if you only pay for the channels you want

Imagine if you only pay for the channels you want


That would be awesome.  Right now you have to pay for all these channels you don't want.  It would be cool if you could only buy the channels you WATCH, like the OWN Channel or Spice, for example.  :P

Imagine if you only pay for the channels you want



I'd rather have channels for free.

That would be awesome.  Right now you have to pay for all these channels you don't want.  It would be cool if you could only buy the channels you WATCH, like the OWN Channel or Spice, for example.  :P


Spice should be for free.

I don't even watch TV anymore. 5 years ago I would of laughed if someone would tell me that I would stop watching TV in the future.  ;D But really everything you need has become available online. You can even watch TV without a TV on the Internet!

I don't even watch TV anymore. 5 years ago I would of laughed if someone would tell me that I would stop watching TV in the future.  ;D But really everything you need has become available online. You can even watch TV without a TV on the Internet!


like on my PS3 I have Crackle which you can watch Tv shows and movies for free with no charge whatsoever.

If this goes through then the big losers in this won't be so much TimeWarner and Comcast as they will be all the cable channels that NOBODY WANTS. That's probably why they bundle all these channels in the first place.

I mean, how many people are going to keep ETWN or QVC or HSN if they don't have to?  And even though there's more than a large enough Spanish-speaking segment in America to keep Univision going, if it is no longer required as part of a package deal then I can see it easily losing two-thirds of its subscribers.

The niche channels are probably quaking in their boots over this, but I agree 100% that it's ludicrous that we should have to subsidize channels (because when it comes down to it, that's what cable bundling really is all about) that we never watch.

I totally agree with people about paying for only the channels you want. I would love to see cable/satellite packages that go by the number-you can get a package of say 10 channels and YOU get to pick which 10 channels you want. Or 20, or 30, etc. etc. We can dream, can't we?



Cat

Definitely agree it would be nice to pick the channels and pay for those only. There are only a few channels that we watch-the rest we could care less about.

It kills me that QVC and HSN are things you have to pay for, because if you purchase something, you then pay for the item that you paid to see in the first place on your cable bill.Messed up when you think about it too much.

and that you have to pay for cable so you can watch a commercial or infomercial.  :(

I hate that you have to pay for the adult porn channels, Geez, $3.99 for one show?

I hate that you have to pay for the adult porn channels, Geez, $3.99 for one show?

You are gonna go broke?

You are gonna go broke?


I was just wondering.

I hate that you have to pay for the adult porn channels, Geez, $3.99 for one show?


I get more pr()n for free in the Internet than I can, ahem, shake a stick at!
:-[

I don't even know all the channels I get on the expanded package.  I only watch a few regularly:  MSNBC, CNN, C-SPAN 1 & 2, Cartoon Channel for Adult Swim.  98% of the rest is crap.  I do watch FOX now and again to make myself mad.  I still like Law & Order reruns wherever I can find them, some sit-com reruns, and there's a movie I want to watch once in a while.  A lot of time I have TV on as Muzak.  They say it's not good for you to do that, but since when do I pay attention to what's good for you? 

Expanded cable is included in my rent.  Otherwise, I'd dump it and just do Netflix and stuff.

I kind of like the idea of going ala carte, but one thing is for sure, the giant telecom carriers WILL find a way to f**k you on the deal or else they're not doing what their shareholders want. 

In a lot of the European countries you get the super-duper premium cable/high-speed internet package for one third or less the cost of what you pay in the U.S.  That's because the government doesn't let the telecom companies gouge the public.  Damn socialists!
::)

I get more pr()n for free in the Internet than I can, ahem, shake a stick at!

You can even watch full films on the internet for free without any cost.

The problem with only paying for channels you want is that public access channels are typically funded by cable companies; not a lot of people like public access but it's still one of the only ways regular people can get their voices heard in public. (I guess with youtube this isn't as true as it used to be, but it's still somewhat true.) When I used to volunteer for the local public access channel in Arlington they were always combating movements to go to opt-in channels, because you'd probably see public access channels, as well as lots of other niche and small-market channels, disappear.

The problem with only paying for channels you want is that public access channels are typically funded by cable companies; not a lot of people like public access but it's still one of the only ways regular people can get their voices heard in public. (I guess with youtube this isn't as true as it used to be, but it's still somewhat true.) When I used to volunteer for the local public access channel in Arlington they were always combating movements to go to opt-in channels, because you'd probably see public access channels, as well as lots of other niche and small-market channels, disappear.


A friend of mine worked in local cable access for years.  It was hard as hell for them to get content from local producers.  A lot people don't even know there is such a thing as community access.  I produce two radio programs, one for university radio, and one for Internet.  The only thing that keeps me going is my rock-solid belief in disseminating experimental, electronic, and contemporary classical music any way I can.  If I think about the number of people who may or may not listen, or may or may not care, I get depressed and I want to quit!

Internet only channels?  No thanks.  I will stick with my cable

You can watch Tv on the internet and for free.

Internet only channels?  No thanks.  I will stick with my cable


comcast is getting redick

I think eventually all TV will be done through the Internet. I have Comcast so the Internet and cable are actually already bundled together in a sense. Ultimately it wouldn't make too much of a difference how television is broadcasted though it will be sad to see another medium die.

I think eventually all TV will be done through the Internet. I have Comcast so the Internet and cable are actually already bundled together in a sense. Ultimately it wouldn't make too much of a difference how television is broadcasted though it will be sad to see another medium die.


television might be a thing of the past in the next 10 years or so.