And thereby price themselves out of the market. WHY should we endlessly pay ever higher fees for overpaid sports and Hollywood types that have no incentive to reduce or even control costs? You can only distort the market for so long. Even laws and union rules eventually succumb to market forces. As did Communism, for most of the non-totalitarian world (the remainder being subsidized for political reasons that will also pass away).
Tough times force change, and what if we enter even tougher times? Will those high priced sports packages survive? Will people subscribe in sufficient numbers to premium packages? Or pay TV at all? If my income drops $1,000 or $1,500 per month, won't I have to make some HARD choices? Will pay TV trump alcohol? Trump what foods are bought?
Pay TV is a LUXURY. And those tend to go away in hard times.
Hopefully we won't see worse times, but ever increasing prices will affect such luxuries all the same. You can't keep increasing prices over people's income indefinitely.
A perfect example of how much more we pay for the same programming packs with DISH is this :
In January of 2001 AEP (top 250 + 4 premiums) costed only $69.99 and this month,12 years later the cost is $119.99. A $50.00 increase . Can you imagine what the cost would be in another ten years?
In February of 2003 top 200 was only $39.98 and this month after the latest price increase , it will cost $64.99 a month. A $25.01 increase over a mear ten years. Imagine the cost in ten years more , if this increase stays the same: $90.00 for top 200 would be the price we pay in 2023, just for the most popular programming pack that DISH carries.
And to make anyone see what we were paying in 1996 when DISH started, for top 40 channels was $19.95 a month and today for the lowest regular programming pack top 120 (without sports rsn) : $49.99 . Top 120+(with sports rsn) $59.99. The only way you can still stay around $19.99 a month in price, is the Welcome pack in SD and you only get around 20 random channels , including shopping channels.
At this rate , I don't see the cable/satellite model lasting. I have always found ways to get around the increases by dropping down to lower pack or dropping extra receivers, but I am now where I have to decide which channels I would have to do without if I drop any further. My latest bill this month is just under $100.00 a month and all I have is top 200 + 1/2 price Hbo and two additional receivers $14.00 + $10.00dvr fee . I am at my breaking point. Any further increases will mean having to decide if I want to go down to the Welcome pack and go SD for national channels.