Canadian Government Pushes Cable Providers to Unbundle Channels

Well, it’s about time. The Canadian government might soon force cable and satellite TV providers to “unbundle” their offerings, in effect allowing consumers to pick and choose the channels they want. “We don’t think it’s right for Canadians to have to pay for bundled television channels that they don’t watch.” Who can disagree?

There’s nothing “wrong” per se with channel bundles, but the fact of the matter is, most people take advantage of just a small fraction of the channels featured within them. If a football fan snags a sports-themed package, for example, channels revolving around tennis, golf or motor racing might go completely ignored. That person would in effect be paying for channels they have no use for, and they have no say in the matter if they want to keep the channels they do want.

If this plan becomes reality, then Canadian consumers are sure to benefit with lower pricing – that is, unless the “a la carte” options are priced appropriately, and not inflated simply because it’s a premium to be able to subscribe to channels that way.

All I know is… this needs to become a standard, everywhere.