The painfully slow unbundling of cable TV

Subscribers are nearly unanimous in wanting á la carte TV – the option to buy single channels rather than dozens of channels, most of which are never used. However, not many people have actually left their cable, satellite or fiber TV bundles.

And, according to an article by Peter Kafka in re/code, “Bundles aren’t going away anytime soon, since they’re the core of the pay TV business.”

However, Verizon is making an offer to its FiOS TV customers that falls between bundles and á la carte. Subscribers can "... buy a 'skinny bundle' of TV channels, and then augment it with a variety of ‘channel packs’ — groups of networks with similar themes, like a sports pack that includes ESPN and Fox Sports — that they can swap out each month. They can also buy extra ones for $10 each."

There have been other tentative steps toward unbundling, but this new offer is more flexible. “in theory, it could appeal to someone who, say, wanted to watch football in the fall, then swap out a sports package for something else in the spring.”

Whatever it’s called, and whatever the consumer response, it’s clear that the big bundlers are looking for ways to counter the threat of streaming. As Kafka notes, “... this seems more like a package designed to help retain Verizon’s 5.6 million video subscribers, or perhaps peel some away from the likes of Comcast or Dish Network, than one for people who live on a broadband-only video diet of Netflix, iTunes and whatever else they can find on the Web.”

Expect more marketing innovations. TV is certainly changing.

Verizon’s New Pay TV Pitch Isn’t A La Carte TV. But It’s Getting Closer. (re/code, Apr. 16, 2015)