50%

It is the content providers that package their channels, all the TV providers can do is pick the package they believe is the best for their customers.  Doesn't matter if you watch them or not.

Read the TOS DTV doesn't have give you any credits.

There are enough people watching those channels for the content providers to keep them.

That’s true, but I highly doubt as

many that watch Disney channels!

Lbeaumon,

It's not the carriers like DirecTV (DTV) or Comcast that bundle the channels.  

It's the media companies like Fox or Disney or Time Warner who bundles them and only offers the bundles, not individual channels.  DTV cannot just buy the rights for say ESPN from Disney and not want to buy the rights to the Discovery Science channel.  They have to buy the whole bundle or get none of them from Disney.

I have over 300 channels and I notice that I only watch, at most, about 80 channels.  I think I could lower my bill if I only paid for those 80 or 100 channels but that doesn't work for the carriers like DTV because they have to pay for the whole bundle but their customers will only pay for the individual channels.  This would create a net loss for DTV and they would go out of business.

There is a court decision about NFL Sunday Ticket and the NFL is being sued on this.  If the NFL loses, then it could force the content companies like Time Warner to only charge for the channels that the customer wants (cafeteria-type pricing).  However, this would mean that some channels will go offline - one that I read about is BET.  They don't have enough viewers and can only get carriage fees if they are bundled with other more popular channels.

So would I but it's not DirecTV/Comcast/Infinity/Charter that bundles the channels.  It's the content companies.

If the NFL loses the NFL Sunday Ticket case, then it could create a precedence where the content companies will be forced to allow cafeteria-type pricing.

However, this will cause other problems.  Most streaming companies are cafeteria-type pricing.  You subscribe to Disney+, AppleTV, Amazon, ESPN+, or Peacock, etc.   The content companies only provide streaming for only their own content.  And because of this, none of these streaming companies are profitable.  They can't continue with this unprofitable business model unless they get more subscribers or they get subsidized by the other dept. of their company (Amazon Prime is an example).

The only streaming company that is profitable is Netflix.  And that's because they aren't just a content company.  They also pay licensing rights for TV shows from the other content companies and then bundle them all together with their own Netflix content.

Even streaming might have to go to a bundling model to make a profit.  

@Lbeaumonbooru

While it's true that DirecTV offers hundreds of channels, customers often only watch a few, especially Disney-owned ones. Requesting a 50% credit reflects paying only for what’s actually valued and frequently watched by most subscribers.

Agree

Problem is that the content owners (Disney prime example) have many channels and do not sell them one by one. They are packaged to TV providers who in turn package them to us. In the end a single channel, or even a handful, are not 50% of your bill regardless of your personal value of them. You're not going to claim they are the only channels you watch/value and demand the entire bill be credited are you?

So in the end it comes down more to actual cost, or approved courtesy, not your personal value. Just the reality of the situation any time a carriage negotiation reaches this point.

DTV doesn't have to give you any credits, read the TOS all channels are subject change at anytime.