Should cable television channels be offered à la carte?

Why do cable TV companies force people to purchase channels they don’t even like? Wouldn’t consumers be better off if they could purchase channels individually rather than only as part of large packages? Not necessarily. This research shows that channel prices would be higher on average if they were offered individually, and if the increase in prices is large enough it can more than offset the benefits of unbundling.

为何有线电视运营商会强制用户购买自身并不偏好的频道？若消费者可单独选购频道，而非仅能通过大型套餐获取相关频道，难道消费者的处境会更优吗？答案未必如此。本研究表明，若以单独售卖的形式提供频道，其平均售价将会更高；若价格涨幅足够显著，甚至可能远超频道解绑（unbundling）所能带来的收益。