FCC Says A-la-carte good for consumers; ncta, disney says its bad

[nitstalker]

NCTA, Disney attack new FCC a la carte report
Mar 20, 2006 11:09 AM, Beyond The Headlines e-newsletter

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and the Walt Disney Company have released studies that claim significant flaws in the FCC’s new report on a la carte pricing for cable television.

The studies, commissioned separately by the NCTA and Disney, found that the assumptions, analysis and conclusions in the FCC’s Further Report are “incorrect, unsubstantiated and severely at odds” with the comprehensive analysis in the first FCC study which reached conclusions similar to those of other government, independent and industry reports.

Economists Steve Wildman of Michigan State University and Jeffrey Eisenach of economic and regulatory consulting firm CapAnalysis Group, said the FCC report ignores nine out of 10 studies submitted by independent economists that conclude an a la carte mandate would harm consumers, and the costs would outweigh any benefits.

To read more information about the FCC's Further Report, visit http://broadcastengineering.com/new...Further-Report-a-la-carte-20060222/index.html.


The FCC report can be found here:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-263741A1.pdf

 

[mattb]

Ofcourse Disney is not going to like ala-cart.. It means people could ditch high priced ESPN and its family of networks

 

[steve615]

Ofcourse Disney is not going to like ala-cart.. It means people could ditch high priced ESPN and its family of networks

I agree.The programmers (networks) and the providers such as cable,DBS companies and eventually the telcos,once they get up and running better in the future will fight this tooth and nail.Too much money to be lost,not to mention several programmers and the providers would take substantial financial hits eventually.IMO,anyone that subscribes to any kind of TV service is paying for at least a few channels that people don't want or watch,hence,the recently announced and launched "family packs",to try and stem the tide of ala carte.Everyone has different styles and tastes in what they watch,that is certain,but,I still say that several of the channels that are available via whatever service or programming package would be lost in the shuffle,if ala cart ever comes to fruition.I'm patiently waiting for the local telco in this area to get their IPTV service up and running.It doesn't look like Verizon is making any headway with the Fios TV service in TN anytime soon,so we wait for the telcos to make their move here.Last word I heard on that service (IPTV) was that we should see it activated in the second half of this year.I say bring it on,competition is good for the consumer.:up

 

[Anole]

Take a look at the bundling BEV does for their satellite service.
They give you 20 little 5 or 6 channel packages (I haven't looked lately, so I may be a little off).
They have themes, or so they say.
Mostly, people bitch that to get what they want, they have to buy a bunch of bundles that will then bring 'em channels they won't watch.
It's far less granular than Dish with their AT60/120/180 packages, but still just as bad.

Oh, and of course, with Dish, you can't get just Discovery Wings (now the Military Channel) from the AT180 pk, without buying all packages below it.
So on that score, BEVs format would be better.

However, what if you want to then get a channel that no one else watches?
If it were truly a la carte, it might cost a bundle, 'cause you and your brother are its only viewers.

...hrmmm... that might be the end of "five hundred channels and nothing to watch".!.
Maybe the "keeper channels" would finally have to provide decent programming, not the filler they serve up.

 

[Stargazer]

If each station provides their station to the public for a small fee per month then they will be offering ala carte in themselves via IPTV.