All of this is getting out of hand. HBO is gone forever from DISH after threats and rate wars did not work out. With football season around the corner, the networks that carry the NFL and NCAA are going to try to flex their muscle.
It looks to me that the traditional Network programming and Cable/Satellite content provider model is breaking apart. For those with available bandwidth (in cities), there may be more choices via some a la carte arrangement. But those in rural areas may be going back to the future with 2 channels of B&W and sign on at 0800 and sign off at 2300.
More competition should translate into more product at a cheaper price, but with the government in the mix, it may have the opposite effect.
Or those in rural areas could actually, y’know, watch streaming/online like the rest of us.
The cable and satellite networks didn’t want to give us a la carte options, now they’re going to be forced by market forces (customers leaving) to either give us a la carte or more likely just watch their TV customers leave for streaming - HBO for example is smart enough to realize that people will pay them directly for their content so they offer paid streaming online. Through smart TVs or modern set top boxes, you don’t have to sit at your computer or tablet to watch them but can camp in your living room and watch on your existing TV.
In the end, all these companies that won’t offer a la carte will have for their customer base is elderly tech-stupid or tech-hating people.
I live very remote and we gave up Direct TV a couple years ago and live stream what we want to watch. We have so many options we have not gone back to the dark ages for sure. What we actually gave up was the high cost of full packages, nothing to watch, endless commercials, and the money games.
Not missing all the aggravation for sure. I think the satellite/cable is on the downhill slide and they did it to themselves.