This is NOT directly the fault of DISH Network or DirecTV. This is the fault of the entire system as a whole. As well all know, all TV channels make money by selling advertising space. That's how they can afford to make new shows, buy the rights to rebroadcast movies, and pay their people - from the actors to the janitors. Without advertising there is no more TV, period. Most of your packages from basic all the way to premium have certain channels that have a limited viewing base. These may include channels such as the food channel, military channel, and HGTV, the list oculd go on and on. The programmers that broadcast these channels decide how much to charge advertisers by how many viewers are able to watch them. The more capable viewers, the more valuable a slot on their channel is for someone to advertise on. Notice I didn't say actually watch, but rather have the ability to watch. Meaning that the Food channel says, ok, I have 6 million people who are subscribed to a cable or satellite package that has my channel, so as an advertiser I'm going to charge you X hundred grand for a 30 second spot. Those numbers will vary depending on the number of capable viewers. That doesn't mean that all 6 million people see that spot, only that it's available to be viewed. It's the same with a newspaper. Individuals and businesses pay an amount to advertise in a newspaper regardless of how many subscribers the newspaper has. 10 thousand people buy the newspaper, but only half of that number actually see the ad. It's the basics of advertising. Now consider this - if a channel like that is not included in basic packages and is offered a la carte, then that same spot on that same channel just became worth less money because not enough people have the ability to view it to make it worth the advertisers' while to pay for it. So, the advertisers send their business elsewhere, and the niche channel now doesn't have enough money to even keep the lights on, let alone create new programming or even keep what it has, thereby reducing interest in it's viewers, which would in turn reduce the number of available channels to even HAVE a la carte. It's a two headed monster wielding a double edged sword. On one had, customers would win because they could chose only the channels they want to see, and save money while doing it. On the other hand, in doing so they would be starving the very same channels that they subscribe to, or don't subscribe to, which would then take channels away from someone else.
The FCC came up with the same idea here a couple years ago and took it to the cable and sat providers, and after a good bit of research, they found exactly what I just said here - the system as it currently is won't allow for a la carte programming. The only question is.....how to change it. It won't be easy. And it would most certainly end up with a lot of powerful people in high places losing a lot of money. And if Maxwell Blecher shakes this tree long enough I don't think he'll like what falls on his head. He may as well drink a gallon of gas then go piss on a brush fire.
