Lunch at the Labs

Today EchoStar's Dish Network blinked in it's dispute with Viacom over which programs they carry and how much they should pay. This shows the strength of the big media companies over the smaller distributors of their content. However the satellite and cable companies just pass the increased programming costs onto their viewers. People blame the distributors because that is who bills them each month, but it is the big content owners who are to be blamed for increased costs. I do not think that content is necessarily more important than distribution; it just matters who has more of a monopoly. No wonder that Comcast wants to buy Disney.

Which brings me to what I would like to see changed. I currently get about 70 different channels from my cable company, more than half of which I do not want and will never watch. Why should I have to pay for them just to get the channels I do want? The way it is now, you sign up for a level of service and are forced to buy a block of channels. But why shouldn't it be a la carte where I can buy just what I want to watch? There can still be a discount if I agree to a certain dollar amount worth of programming. Why should I be forced to buy something I do not want in order to get something I do want? It seems like blackmail to me.