We will ALL be metered to death for bandwidth consumption in an a-la-carte TV channel universe.
Pay and cable TV are ripe for disruption
One of the results of the merger between Comcast and TWC will be how Comcast plans to halt the cord cutters and deal with the calls for unbundling the current TV landscape. Pay and cable TV are ripe for disruption. The writing I think is on the wall.
OTT (over-the-top) IP channels exist because they are carried into your home via IP. So is Aereo. And soon, so will most other channels today that we all watch on cable. The days of bundling 180 ‘basic’ channels while offering an option to buy ‘Pay’ TV channels with your ‘basic’ subscription monthly is outdated and no longer reflects the current TV landscape. The move to get the set-top box out of the living room is happening. The result? We will no longer have bundled channels or packages of ‘programming’.
Instead, think about this.
Just like the electric meter gets read every month and we pay for the amount of electricity we use, our TV will also become metered. The bandwidth caps will melt away and in its place will be a connection that Comcast will provide — but strictly for bandwidth. Then, as you decide which channels to watch on TV, whether its HBO or ABC, CBS or The History Channel you will be billed for the amount of time each and every channel is turned on in your home, incrementally.
That’s right. Watch HBO for several hours a night and you’ll be billed for this at some rate. (That ‘rate’ might be higher than if you watched VH1 or Spike TV, or lower if you watch ESPN). Want to see ABC and your local news, well that’s a slightly different rate. All channels will be delivered via IP. You will get notified throughout the month when you approach a set tier or amount that you decide is your ‘cap’. Or you can simply keep watching and pay the bill at months end. The bills won’t be too different but now will reflect the REAL usage in the home.
Since you’ll be getting the Internet already through Comcast’s coaxial cable, why not deliver every channel that exists in the TV universe and YOU decide what to watch. Cord cutters can’t cut the cord under this plan — they need bandwidth too (to see Netflix, Hulu, etc.). A DVR you say you need? No problem, Comcast will supply you one over the Internet (a software DVR).
Why might this happen? It eliminates expensive set-top hardware, allows for subscribers to watch whatever they want (package or bundled channels now melt away). It puts all channels on an even playing field. Sure HBO, Netflix, Showtime, etc. might have a minimum monthly charge, but just like electricity, you’ll watch them when you need to and you’ll be able to see over time your usage patterns, favorite channels and genres and in turn the TV will become smarter because we’ll make it smarter (and make it a very personal experience) to watch, just as its always been.
Now, let me set my ‘soft’ DVR for ‘The Walking Dead’ tonight on AMC. The only time I watch AMC all month is for this show, so I’ll be billed for about 4hrs. a month for AMC during the ‘Walking Dead’ season. And I’ll be happy to pay that bill!
