Strange, I could have sworn I saw this exact same idea discussed here before, but I can't find it now. Anyway, it was argued that the cable company would rather give you a bigger package than you actually want so they can charge you more money. Yeah, it sucks, but that's cable companies for you. I would definitely prefer to be able to only pay for the channels I want, so I support this idea.

That would mean less revenue for the cable companies. We can't have that!!

On the other hand, it would provide a great competitive edge to whichever company decided to do it first.

it would cost to set up a system where only certain channels go through, and cut the cable company profit. better option is to find some other means - internet perhaps?

The technology is there to control customer access per channel. It is just that the pay TV industry doesn't want to do that, for most channels.

In some ways this is already happening through streaming venues like hulu.com. Eventually everything will become a la carte same way as iTunes' pay per song concept has changed the way people buy music.

It does already exist:Comhem

You can either:Select base account ($3 / month) and then add channels ($3 / month per channel), or you can take 8 fauvorites (15 $ / month) and then select 8 free channels, and then you can select more but it cost ($3 / month per channel for each channel above the 8 favourites)You could also take medium (cost 15 $ / month) but then comhem selects your channels. Then you can always add channels for $3 / month and you have the "large" pack too, about 30$ / month, and then you can add the channels you want but dosen't are in large pack.

You can change which channels you want to look, but it will always take effect on 1st january each month.

That's in Sweden though. The US cable interests don't want it.

I should add, that by 2012, a Canadian pay TV provider can make their all their specialty channels Alacarte, within reason. Right now,only class 2 digital channels are.

Its the same with Comhem. They have some premium channels which must be buyed in packages, and some free standing channels that can be bought for 3$ / month.

At comhem, theres a total of 109 channels including packages. 92 of these channels are free standing, where you can purchase channels for 3$ / month.

So its is 10 premium channels which needs to be bought in packages, and 7 channels which are included in the base account.The premium channels are about 10$ to 20$ / month per package, and indivual channels in the packages cannot be selected.

I guess the agreements between Viasat and Canal+ prevents them from selling the channels in the preium packages separately.

But you could still for example select the Canal+ Film package for 16$ / month and then add for example Discovery for 3$ / month, or you could buy multiple packages if you want, and then add separate channels...

So you cannot for example take "Canal+ First" and "Canal+ Action" from Canal+ Film package, you must buy the whole Canal+ Film package if you want one or more channels within the package. But you can compose the account in any way, by taking a account (base account, medium account,8 fauvorites account, or large account), then selecting any number of premium packages, and then selecting any number of freestanding channels.