Is this a fair analogy of what its like to be a consumer of Satellite TV? And do you have a problem with it?

Question

Suppose you like to read Sports Illustrated from time to time.

I own the news stand in your neighborhood.

You come in and bring a copy of SI up to the counter. But you are quickly told that to buy SI, you must buy FOUR other magazines at the same time. And in so doing you will pay a lot more than the cost of SI on its own.

You just want your copy of Sports Illustrated. That's all. But to get it you must buy these other magazines that you are not really interested in.

And the folks who make SI are not happy about this either, because they want you to just be able to but their magazine whenever you choose to.

But you can't. Because someone else is combining products and forcing you to buy them in groups or lots.

Isn't this what its like to be a consumer of Satellite TV (as well as some digital cable systems) ?

You want one channel, but to get it you must also pay for others.

Isn't this exactly what they do to us?

Is this right?

Will this ever change?

Answer 1

I don't think it will ever change.  They make more money buy doing it this way and we don't have anyone else selling tv that will sell it this way so why should they.  It would be a whole lot more econmic fur the consumer but they don't care.  The only way this may change is when web tv is common.  But they will probably do the same thing with web tv in the end.