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Cable Subscribers Prefer ‘a la Carte’ Channels

Cable subscribers don’t want to pay for channels they don’t watch and say their current cable costs are too high - and more than half prefer to purchase channels individually instead of in bulk packages, reports MarketingCharts.

According to a new Zogby Interactive poll, some 52 percent of cable subscribers said they would prefer to buy individual channels, while 35 percent favor the current bulk package system. Another 12 percent were undecided about which approach they prefer.

The survey also shows a high level of dissatisfaction with the idea of paying for channels they don’t watch:

• 71 percent say they disagree with having to pay for cable channels they don’t watch; nearly half (46 percent) “strongly disagree.”
• Moreover, most subscribers (82 percent) agree that the cost of cable television service is too high; 46 percent say current costs are “much too high.”

There is, however, uncertainty about whether changing to an a la carte cable subscription service would help defray costs:

• 37 percent believe the costs would be greater.
• 39 percent believe the average cost would be less.
• 10 percent said they believe the costs would remain about the same, while 13 percent said they weren’t sure.

Though some programmers have raised concerns that smaller or not-well-known channels would not be able to survive if not included in a channel package, half (52 percent) of cable subscribers said they were not concerned about this possibility.

Still, a significant 42 percent expressed concern about the possibility of such channels being lost if cable providers were to switch to an a la carte system.

(Via MediaPost)