If you lived in a location with any choice of provider and channel package you never really "paid for channels you didn't want." That claim is a canard, and always has been.
But the reason it's a canard is hard to grasp, so the myth lives on.
Pretend you were only ever interested in 2 channels: espn and espn2. You could get a lineup from provider A with both for $65/month. Or you could get a basic lineup with espn from carrier B for $45 plus a sports package for $15 total $60.
So you pick "B."
Well, you just proved that you, as a consumer, are willing to pay $60/mo for espn and espn2.
Do you honestly think there's a world where a company is going to provide that to you for $40, and leave that $20/mo revenue just sitting there?
But, more often than not, it's a little more complicated than just wanting one or two channels.
So, what happens is that providers find out your willing to pay $60/mo, and then they put together packages of channels to compete for that $60. And because there are lots of different consumers, they try and put together packages that will pull in lots of different households.
The bottom line is that you (and millions of other consumers) have demonstrated that you are willing to pay $X/month for some collection of channels.
If there were a true "a la carte" option, guess what? There'd be a dynamic pricing model where you'd still end up paying the same per month, because that's how they maximize revenue. Only in that world, you'd maybe be happier because you aren't "paying for channels you don't watch."
But you're not, and you never have been.
You're paying for the channels you watch. If you didn't want to watch them, you wouldn't pay at all. All the other channels are just things the sales guy threw in for free.
But the reason it's a canard is hard to grasp, so the myth lives on.
Pretend you were only ever interested in 2 channels: espn and espn2. You could get a lineup from provider A with both for $65/month. Or you could get a basic lineup with espn from carrier B for $45 plus a sports package for $15 total $60.
So you pick "B."
Well, you just proved that you, as a consumer, are willing to pay $60/mo for espn and espn2.
Do you honestly think there's a world where a company is going to provide that to you for $40, and leave that $20/mo revenue just sitting there?
But, more often than not, it's a little more complicated than just wanting one or two channels.
So, what happens is that providers find out your willing to pay $60/mo, and then they put together packages of channels to compete for that $60. And because there are lots of different consumers, they try and put together packages that will pull in lots of different households.
The bottom line is that you (and millions of other consumers) have demonstrated that you are willing to pay $X/month for some collection of channels.
If there were a true "a la carte" option, guess what? There'd be a dynamic pricing model where you'd still end up paying the same per month, because that's how they maximize revenue. Only in that world, you'd maybe be happier because you aren't "paying for channels you don't watch."
But you're not, and you never have been.
You're paying for the channels you watch. If you didn't want to watch them, you wouldn't pay at all. All the other channels are just things the sales guy threw in for free.