quote:
You should be able to just pick your channels based on what you actually watch and pay accordingly but the US Government won't let that happen.

Its not the government stopping you, it is the combination of record levels of cable participation (90+% of America has cable) and the fact that video content providers were more prepared than music or book companies.

The music companies weren't prepared for the digital age, so they got fricked and now they have to give everything away for a low monthly fee (Spotify). The video content producers (think HBO, ESPN, etc.) are trying to avoid losing out on all that revenue.

So they are tying their current streaming products to the old dinosaurs so that they can milk the current system in place until it is dead. Soon as it is dead (which will take 25+ years) they will switch gears and sell directly to customers via their own portals.

Sure if Net Neutrality was real cord cutting would be easier. But Netflix paid the toll to get their traffic prioritized, ESPN could do the same. That is only an added expense, not the reason it doesn't work.

The reason it doesn't work is because there is a lot more money left to be milked out of cable. So enjoy the ride...