To expect Voom to try and compete on breadth of offerings would be a mistake.
I've been to restaurants that have a 47 page menu, and serve everything from barbeque to vegetarian, and I don't normally go back. It certainly wouldn't be my choice for only place to eat.
The most successful businesses don't expect to get all the business, they specialize in doing the best is one area. Even those that venture away from their core, normally find they are moving away from success. McDonalds has try a lot "vertical Market" products, and other than fresh baked cookies has met with little success.
To try and tear away a significant segment of E* clients, by claiming a (Me Too) "we have 'some' of your cultural channels" is not going to get anyone excited about jumping ship.
I think V* has done a good job of determining the strengths of it's competitors, and not going head to head, but taking an unserviced market (HD) and said "we are the best and will continue to be better than everyone else from now on".
They need to capitalize on that.
They also realize that many people want more than just a few HD channels, so they included a core of the most popular SD channels. This makes them very competitive with local cable for many parts of the company. they offer about as much as my basic cable and add HD for a reasonable added cost. My cost for High end cable (more, not necessarily better channels) is about what I be payng for Voom (when it is installed).
It's not the cultural channels that made me switch, not the Sports Package that made me switch, Not the number of channels that made me switch. It was HD, with enough standard channels to be a "complete enough" package for my needs. If I NEEDED sports and HD, then I guess I'm a buyer of two services, and I would only want to pay as little as possible for duplication of channels between the services.
One other benefit for me with Voom, which also seems to be one of the big cost problems for Voom, is that I get all my locals in Uncompressed HD, since they are all offered OTA.
Not available with D* or E*. And admittedly not a benefit for a large part of the country.
My Brother in Law and I had a discussion about subscribing only to the channels that we actually want. truly I spend more than 80% of my time watching less than 20% of the channels offered.
How about a deal where I can create my own package on E* that would be for maybe 15 of the best channels to add to whatever service, Cable, Voom, or just OTA for $20 a month.
And Have Voom ultimately offer the same thing, 15-20 channels of real HD to add to my Dish Sports Subscription.
All of these are great ways to increase marketshare by making a smaller cost for the sub so it becomes an easy impulse purchase.
But that has to be after Voom increases their base.
Do your part. Talk to your neighbors, encourage them to try Voom.
It's a BUCK. Whether they do voom or VAVA Voom, it is reasonably comparable in cost to what they are paying and they will have a new mix of content. How many of us get board with the HBO Subscription after 2 months, because it's the same movies each month?
They can always go back to the same-ol' in six months and that will seem new and interesting.
If you argue that Churn will not be a solution, I can tell you the Technically elite are a nervous group that is contantly wanting to change. The Masses, they is a stable crowd, most are always happy with the status quo. Most will stay right where they are unless there is a real hot fire stuck under their but.
Voom needs their service to move away from the elite class. And you can help. Most of you technically elite have neighbors that are not. Become shepards, move the flock to the promised land of HD.
this is an opportunity to see just how much influence a small group (26,000)of dedicated zealots has on the future of this country.
Whaddya think, wanna givit a go?
Talk to your neighbors, back in the beginning of civilization we did.