[astroglide]

i wish there was an 'it depends' vote, but i voted no.

the way this works is that when directv or comcast or whoever negotiates, they get bundles. "yes you can have hbo, but you must also take the golf channel and oxygen". channels that own other channels bundle them together and use it as a way to financially support the smaller ones. if everything were a la carte, it's quite possible that stuff like techtv (whatever it is called now) and other special interest channels will die, or that other niche ones would never get made.

voting yes here would be analagous to voting yes to a poll that asked whether you want all crappy blockbuster movies to not get made. but companies like sony own companies like focus features, and the financing of the juggernaut is what enables them to take risks with the little stuff. another example would be the record industry, etc.