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[Chris R]

Its more expensive and will continue to rise, but ironically its the non sports stations that don't want an ala carte split. Mainly because people won't give a flat fuck.

I would gladly pay $25 a month for a pick of like 5 sports channels. But then half the stations would die.

Yup, if I could pay like $40 a month for the 6 or 7 channels I actually watch I'd jump on that in a second instead of paying $70 a month for 250+ channels.

 

[newjeruse]

So they spent 7 billion to get maybe 100k viewers a day? That seems a little crazy, and if the dodgers suck there goes half that viewership.

6 months a years with 3 hours of inventory per night? A television programmers' dream.

 

[Darryl]

No. The amount of money you deserve is based on your worth, in dollars, not how noble your profession is or how nice of a person you are. Pro Athletes line the pockets of owners and network execs to the tune of BILLIONS of dollars. Why do they not deserve a huge cut of that? You are worth what someone is willing to pay you.

i don't have a problem with the athletes getting a cut. in my ideal world, they'd get 100% of the cut. the whole situation described in the OP, though, is terrible. it's almost exactly the same as my problem with the pop music industry. they create the industry, keep all competitors out, and then cash out as hard as possible. i'm sure those marketing execs deserve their billions as well, but fuck 'em

 

[Nevasleep]

Yup, if I could pay like $40 a month for the 6 or 7 channels I actually watch I'd jump on that in a second instead of paying $70 a month for 250+ channels.

What happens if not enough other people want to watch your 6 or 7 channels?

 

[Angry Fork]

They are obviously bringing in hundreds of millions so why wouldn't they deserve it?

No. The amount of money you deserve is based on your worth, in dollars, not how noble your profession is or how nice of a person you are. Pro Athletes line the pockets of owners and network execs to the tune of BILLIONS of dollars. Why do they not deserve a huge cut of that? You are worth what someone is willing to pay you.

They know that's the way things work, they disagree it should work that way. They're asking for a moral justification not a market sanctioned legal one.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

They know that's the way things work, they disagree it should work that way. They're asking for a moral justification not a market sanctioned legal one.

That's fantasy. You might as well ask people to stop enjoying things. Movies, sports, music, videogames...why did the guy in your avatar deserve millions of dollars to make a movie?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Why don't they just let people pay for the channels they actually want? From some kind of menu. Let's not pretend that this isn't possible.

What happens if not enough other people want to watch your 6 or 7 channels?

Same thing that happens now when a tv show doesn't have enough viewers to make money - it gets canceled. That's how the world works.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Why don't they just let people pay for the channels they actually want? From some kind of menu. Let's not pretend that this isn't possible.

because there would be like 8 channels and they'd probably cost $20-30 each per month. the television industry is kept alive through advertiser revenue, not subscriber fees. They are able to make money by packaging (forcing) lesser channels into people's cable packages, increasing the subscriber count and making it more attractive for advertisers.

 

[Angry Fork]

That's fantasy. You might as well ask people to stop enjoying things. Movies, sports, music, videogames...why did the guy in your avatar deserve millions of dollars to make a movie?

He didn't deserve it. I don't know how wanting a salary cap means being anti-fun though.

 

[Acheron]

All specialty channels overcharge the average viewer but undercharge their fans. That's the idea of packages, the most content at the lowest cost.

At the end of the day spending $70 on cable an getting 150 channels is better than paying $70 on seven channels (albeit more tailored to your taste).

 

[Like the hat?]

I'm just so glad that I finally convinced my wife to drop cable tv after our contract is up. Let's just hope she still feels that way in August.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

He didn't deserve it. I don't know how wanting a salary cap means being anti-fun though.

if someone was willing to pay it, because they thought that by making a movie that starred him, they could make back their money 10X, how does he not deserve it? And what the fuck are you talking about "salary cap"? You want to put a limit on how much people can earn? Should the guy who created facebook not be allowed to make billions because YOU don't think Facebook is all that important? That's bullshit crazy talk.

 

[Rorschach]

Why don't they just let people pay for the channels they actually want? From some kind of menu. Let's not pretend that this isn't possible.

Because there would be 5 channels left. 4 of them would be sports related.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

because there would be like 8 channels and they'd probably cost $20-30 each per month. the television industry is kept alive through advertiser revenue, not subscriber fees. They are able to make money by packaging (forcing) lesser channels into people's cable packages, increasing the subscriber count and making it more attractive for advertisers.

I'm convinced that more people would subscribe with more choice and price tiers.

For someone who just wants to watch one show (like say, Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead), piracy is a much more attractive option that spending $150 a month. Cable companies have created this false dichotomy that it's either 900 channels or 10.

 

[Angry Fork]

if someone was willing to pay it, because they thought that by making a movie that starred him, they could make back their money 10X, how does he not deserve it? And what the fuck are you talking about "salary cap"? You want to put a limit on how much people can earn? Should the guy who created facebook not be allowed to make billions because YOU don't think Facebook is all that important? That's bullshit crazy talk.

I don't like excess and waste. I don't think anyone should be able to make more than 100k per year, maybe less if necessary. I think what people create and services they provide should be done because they want to rather than for profit. No I don't think the facebook guy should be able to make billions while schools, libraries and hospitals get funding cuts.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

I don't like excess and waste. I don't think anyone should be able to make more than 100k per year, maybe less if necessary. I think what people create and services they provide should be done because they want to rather than for profit. No I don't think the facebook guy should be able to make billions while schools, libraries and hospitals get funding cuts.

So you are saying movies, music, video games and general entertainment should not exist? Fuck that, no products at all. The government should just create everything. Can't let a fucking laundry detergent company get too popular and make more than $100,000! Go move to Cuba.

I'm convinced that more people would subscribe with more choice and price tiers.

For someone who just wants to watch one show (like say, Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead), piracy is a much more attractive option that spending $150 a month. Cable companies have created this false dichotomy that it's either 900 channels or 10.

Piracy would be an option for them if it was $20 a month. That's why they are pirates. It's funny that you mention Game of Thrones and Walking Dead though. Those shows probably would not exist on those networks on an "ala carte" system. It's the networks like HBO and AMC that benefit as much from the current system as anyone.

 

[smurfx]

univision started a sports channel and it has a bunch of exclusive soccer matches on there. expect that and others to jump on this and start demanding more money. if you live in big diverse cities then expect to have a really high cable bill.

 

[Angry Fork]

So you are saying movies, music, video games and general entertainment should not exist? Fuck that, no products at all. The government should just create everything. Can't let a fucking laundry detergent company get too popular and make more than $100,000! Go move to Cuba.

I didn't say this at all. I don't know how you got to that point. Movies, music, games etc. should be made because people want to make them. Money doesn't need to be a factor for people to create and enjoy music.

There is no moral justification for a football player to make 10x as much as a surgeon. One is far more important to society and football players would still play if they were making less otherwise they don't really care about the game.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

I didn't say this at all. I don't know how you got to that point. Movies, music, games etc. should be made because people want to make them. Money doesn't need to be a factor for people to create and enjoy music.

There is no moral justification for a football player to make 10x as much as a surgeon. One is far more important to society and football players would still play if they were making less otherwise they don't really care about the game.

There is a reason, because they create that kind of revenue. That's the only reason that anybody needs. Your wacky "morals" don't need to play a part, thankfully. In your fantasy land, things like sports and music and movies would not exist. What would be the motivation for a producer to invest $100 million to make a movie if the most they could make back is $100K? Why would people build sports arenas? Movie theatres? Restaurants? Factories? Record albums? Because they love it? Who gets to be the housekeepers and janitors and groundskeepers then? The guy who "loves" cleaning toilets? You are being incredibly silly.

 

[Xeke]

I didn't say this at all. I don't know how you got to that point. Movies, music, games etc. should be made because people want to make them. Money doesn't need to be a factor for people to create and enjoy music.

There is no moral justification for a football player to make 10x as much as a surgeon. One is far more important to society and football players would still play if they were making less otherwise they don't really care about the game.

There are hundreds of thousands of more surgeons in this world than there are professional football players. Supply and demand.

 

[tiggerkiddo]

I hate the NFL for having games on NFL Network and ESPN for having MNF on cable.

 

[Rorschach]

I didn't say this at all. I don't know how you got to that point. Movies, music, games etc. should be made because people want to make them. Money doesn't need to be a factor for people to create and enjoy music.

There is no moral justification for a football player to make 10x as much as a surgeon. One is far more important to society and football players would still play if they were making less otherwise they don't really care about the game.

Statistically, you shorten your lifespan if you play football. I don't think as many players would take that risk for such a small payoff. This is a lifetime of dedication and hard work towards your goal AND you get a shorter life span on top of it. And the latter half of your life is spent with aches, pains, and possible brain damage.

 

[Guileless]

I hate the NFL for having games on NFL Network and ESPN for having MNF on cable.

Couldn't you stream MNF on ESPN 3 this last season? Even if not, bars have great specials on Monday nights so that shouldn't be a deal breaker unless you're a teetotaler.

The NFL Network games all blew. Teams don't want to play on Thursdays. You didn't miss anything there.

 

[Rorschach]

Couldn't you stream MNF on ESPN 3 this last season? Even if not, bars have great specials on Monday nights so that shouldn't be a deal breaker unless you're a teetotaler.

The NFL Network games all blew. Teams don't want to play on Thursdays. You didn't miss anything there.

To stream on ESPN 3, you had to have a cable provider that carried ESPN, so that doesn't really help people that don't have cable tv. You could always mooch off a relative or something, though!

 

[alexthekid]

Statistically, you shorten your lifespan if you play football. I don't think as many players would take that risk for such a small payoff. This is a lifetime of dedication and hard work towards your goal AND you get a shorter life span on top of it. And the latter half of your life is spent with aches, pains, and possible brain damage.

Lol for every player making millions upon millions, in pro sport leagues there are a big amount of athletes that are pushing there bodies just as hard, much harder than what is good for their health. Many olympians are happy just to be able to sustain themselves for the time being.

I´m not saying that players shouldn´t be filthy rich, just pointing out that there would be football players even though they earned 100k.

 

[Angry Fork]

There is a reason, because they create that kind of revenue. That's the only reason that anybody needs. Your wacky "morals" don't need to play a part, thankfully. In your fantasy land, things like sports and music and movies would not exist. What would be the motivation for a producer to invest $100 million to make a movie if the most they could make back is $100K? Why would people build sports arenas? Movie theatres? Restaurants? Factories? Record albums? Because they love it? Who gets to be the housekeepers and janitors and groundskeepers then? The guy who "loves" cleaning toilets? You are being incredibly silly.

Movies wouldn't cost 100 million because the people who work on them are following the same principle as the guy who writes the screenplay for nothing. If a town wants a movie theater or sports arena then they build it together and the people who know what they're doing manage the construction. If they don't want to spend the year or 2 constructing it then they don't want it bad enough. Once it's complete it pays for itself since nobody in the town will have to pay admission and can use the facility as they please.

Dirty jobs should be shared equally on a schedule, voted on by everyone in the town/restaurant/factories. At least until robotics and AI are advanced enough to do those jobs for us.

Like you said before this is fantasy in the sense that this wouldn't fly in this day and age but it will eventually. I think it makes more sense and is more ethical than $140 million contracts for a guy who can hit a ball with a stick really well. There is reward and then there's gross irresponsible excess.

Statistically, you shorten your lifespan if you play football. I don't think as many players would take that risk for such a small payoff. This is a lifetime of dedication and hard work towards your goal AND you get a shorter life span on top of it. And the latter half of your life is spent with aches, pains, and possible brain damage.

They don't have to play it if they don't want to. I'm okay with trading professional sports in favor of heating, education, public transportation etc. People can still play at a park if they want to.

Sports wouldn't go away though, when people love something they do it. Do you think these guys gave a shit about a $1million contract waiting for them after high school/college?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1869_New_Jersey_vs._Rutgers_football_game

 

[Darryl]

So you are saying movies, music, video games and general entertainment should not exist? Fuck that, no products at all. The government should just create everything. Can't let a fucking laundry detergent company get too popular and make more than $100,000! Go move to Cuba.

are you seriously wondering why anyone would bother making art, music, movies, games, or playing sports without the prospect of hundreds of millions of dollars? entertaining others is like one of the big things there is to do in life, regardless of the price tag you put on it.

 

[terribletwo]

The level of quality we currently expect from entertainment requires enormous budgets, which deliver enormous profits

 

[Heel]

They should just say fuck it and stop televising sports on cable entirely. Somehow sports survived before television came around. Read about scores online the next day. All it is is the same damn people throwing around a ball, no one needs to see that shit.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

are you seriously wondering why anyone would bother making art, music, movies, games, or playing sports without the prospect of hundreds of millions of dollars? entertaining others is like one of the big things there is to do in life, regardless of the price tag you put on it.

Did I say that?

 

[Gallbaro]

+

=

Perfection.

-As long as you do not give a shit about Football or Basketball, which are not radio compatible sports.

 

[Darryl]

Did I say that?

honestly, i think so

 

[sans_pants]

with an ota antenna i get all the major football channels in hd(no espn or nfl network)

espn is starting to offer their service online but now you have to have a cable sub to get anything worthwhile.

nba and mlb offer reasonable streaming prices. if tnt and espn offered an untethered streaming service id get everything i wanted

 

[GoutPatrol]

Except that millions of people have dropped cable, even as the economy is recovering. Its gone from 100 million to 96 million or so.

 

[someday]

Luckily the NFL is mostly ota now. The NFL has an app that is pretty cheap and I can watch mnf and Thursday games in full. I don't really care enough to watch baseball and hate basketball so that's no loss. Cycling is the only other sport I care about and coverage of that is shitty in the US. And honestly with every popular show eventually being released on DVD/Blu-Ray without the incessant ads, I don't see any reason to pay a fortune for cable ever again.

 

[Joel Was Right]

Are illegal internet streams of NFL games popular?

 

[entremet]

I just wish Sunday ticket wasn't exclusive to the PS3. I don't the NFL and their obsession with exclusivity. EA, DirectTV, and Sony have exclusive deals with the NFL.

 

[Fox Mulder]

I love the nfl, but do fine with the free ota games in HD.

I already buy the couple of shows I do watch off iTunes for $3 an HD episode that I can watch on a variety of devices, so I'm never paying for cable again. Hopefully millions of more people come around to my way and the industry changes.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

honestly, i think so

My question had nothing to do with the desires of the people creating the art, but those consuming it. The reason people make the money they do now is because millions and millions want to consume it. Are you going to stop "too many" people from going to a movie, or watching a sporting event, because you don't want them to generate too much money? Stop things from being too popular? It's silly.

 

[ElFly]

because there would be like 8 channels and they'd probably cost $20-30 each per month. the television industry is kept alive through advertiser revenue, not subscriber fees. They are able to make money by packaging (forcing) lesser channels into people's cable packages, increasing the subscriber count and making it more attractive for advertisers.

That'd be a good argument if subscriber fees weren't rising all the time when sport networks decide they want more money.

 

[Korgill]

Movies wouldn't cost 100 million because the people who work on them are following the same principle as the guy who writes the screenplay for nothing. If a town wants a movie theater or sports arena then they build it together and the people who know what they're doing manage the construction. If they don't want to spend the year or 2 constructing it then they don't want it bad enough. Once it's complete it pays for itself since nobody in the town will have to pay admission and can use the facility as they please.

Dirty jobs should be shared equally on a schedule, voted on by everyone in the town/restaurant/factories. At least until robotics and AI are advanced enough to do those jobs for us.

Like you said before this is fantasy in the sense that this wouldn't fly in this day and age but it will eventually. I think it makes more sense and is more ethical than $140 million contracts for a guy who can hit a ball with a stick really well. There is reward and then there's gross irresponsible excess.



They don't have to play it if they don't want to. I'm okay with trading professional sports in favor of heating, education, public transportation etc. People can still play at a park if they want to.

Sports wouldn't go away though, when people love something they do it. Do you think these guys gave a shit about a $1million contract waiting for them after high school/college?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1869_New_Jersey_vs._Rutgers_football_game

So what you actually want is communism. Also if you remove the incentive from excelling in anything, no one will. Say goodbye to those really expensive, but lifesaving, heart surgeons and cancer specialists a lot of people are needing. There's a reason communism doesn't work if you want a certain standard of living.

 

[Avon Barksdale]

Believe it or not, sports is the only reason I pay for cable.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Thanks to sports, they won't. There's a reason cable companies are paying billions for sports TV deals. America loves sports, and it's also one of the few things that is DVR-proof.

Cable companies are losing millions of subscribers a year due to Netflix/Hulu/etc already.

You'd be surprised the amount of people who realize they don't need to watch sports live to maintain their lives.

Unless the cable companies react and keep prices in check they'll just keep losing people and Cable TV will eventually just become a sports box.

 

[teruterubozu]

Cable companies are losing millions of subscribers a year due to Netflix/Hulu/etc already.

You'd be surprised the amount of people who realize they don't need to watch sports live to maintain their lives.

Unless the cable companies react and keep prices in check they'll just keep losing people and Cable TV will eventually just become a sports box.

I think even hardcore sports fans these days are watching less live games in general with real-time scores on the web. ESPN too is purely for entertainment value only now, they're not the source for sports news and highlights anymore. The casual sports fan still gets plenty of games on the weekends over antenna (when they actually have time to watch a full game). Cable TV will eventually become 2 channels: TNT and Fox Sports/local home team channel.

 

[meltingparappa]

Chris Bevilacqua, an investor and consultant who has spearheaded the creation of several college networks, said, “If consumers were that upset by the costs, they’d be dropping their cable subscriptions in droves.”

So wait, is cable doing well? In terms of growth or projected growth compared to five years ago?

None of my 25-35 friends have cable, probably mostly because they don't care for sports. They either watch the shows they like online, or simply wait for it to reach netflix or dvd.

 

[FUBAR McDangles]

My gf and I just moved into an apartment and decided not to get cable. We were fine for a good 3-4 weeks, and probably could have kept going.

But my mom decided to pay for cable for us, so whatever. I find myself only watching sports stuff, and AMC when Walking Dead starts up. Otherwise I don't touch it.

 

[gcubed]

So wait, is cable doing well? In terms of growth or projected growth compared to five years ago?

None of my 25-35 friends have cable, probably mostly because they don't care for sports. They either watch the shows they like online, or simply wait for it to reach netflix or dvd.

subscriber growth is stagnant at best, revenue is still increasing. The problem with cutting cable being a sports fan is that you can't watch home teams on streaming services from the leagues. Once someone decides to challenge blackout rules, i'd be fine. I'm moving this year out of state, so its actually BETTER for me as i'll be able to stop cable service because i can watch my teams online. How is that not fucked up?

 

[someday]

So what you actually want is communism. Also if you remove the incentive from excelling in anything, no one will. Say goodbye to those really expensive, but lifesaving, heart surgeons and cancer specialists a lot of people are needing. There's a reason communism doesn't work if you want a certain standard of living.

Lol, we aren't talking about surgeons though. The topic is about men who play primarily baseball, basketball, and American football. The world will not end if they aren't paid generously to play a game that many play just for fun.

And I say this as someone who loves NFL football. Again, I'm fine with sports lovers being able to pay for what they love; I just think blackmailing all cable subscribers so that the leagues and players can make millions and billions is ridiculous. Hell, I'll pay $4.95 a month for NFL mobile but I won't pay almost $100 a month for cable so I have access to pro basketball games that I will never watch.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Lol, we aren't talking about surgeons though. The topic is about men who play primarily baseball, basketball, and American football. The world will not end if they aren't paid generously to play a game that many play just for fun.

And I say this as someone who loves NFL football. Again, I'm fine with sports lovers being able to pay for what they love; I just think blackmailing all cable subscribers so that the leagues and players can make millions and billions is ridiculous. Hell, I'll pay $4.95 a month for NFL mobile but I won't pay almost $100 a month for cable so I have access to pro basketball games that I will never watch.

Nobody is "blackmailing" anyone, so stop with the hyperbole. They are charging what people are willing to pay, like any business does. I am willing to pay $50 for an iPad does that mean Apple is ripping me off by forcing me to pay $500?

And the issue about players being paid "generously" is irrelevant. They aren't paid what they are paid out of generosity, they are paid what they are paid because like any other person with any other job, they are worth what they make. If athletes making $20 million a year was excessive, then all the major sports would go bankrupt. Instead they are flourishing.

 

[Parch]

Regular television programming is just filler for in between sporting events.