Time Warner Cable offering low-cost HBO bundle

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Time Warner CableTWC has just launched “Starter TV with HBO” bundle that includes access to 20 channels, including local broadcasters in HD, as well as HBO and HBO Go, for $29.99 monthly (not including cable box rental).


The package includes: ABC, CBS, CSPAN, CSPAN 2, CSPAN 3, QVC, Fox, Galavision, HSN, NBC, PBS, SHOP NBC, TBN, Telemundo, Univision and CW.

Comcast started offering a similar bundle in October: “Internet Plus” ($39.99-$49.99 per month) including broadband, local broadcast TV and HBO.

RBR-TVBR observation: TWC has been battling declining subscriber numbers for a while now. The goal here with both TWC and Comcast is more to get consumers to subscribe to their services in the first place, rather than to retain existing subscribers. While we think this is a start, most people in metro areas can get most of these channels via antenna already. Who is going to pay (likely) $40 per month just for HBO? Not many. It would have been better to offer the local channels plus the customers’ choice of three cable networks for that price. But we know the true a la carte dream is still a long way off.

1 COMMENT

  1. That’s getting back to the roots of community TV, or a.k.a. cable TV. Its no way what I would purchase myself because I would not want at least six of those stations listed. But its a start. Let me pick the 20 channels and you have arrived. I’m not going to take your programming until you let me pick my channels so its not like you are loosing me because you don’t have me. Let me pick my 20 channels and then charge me for what it costs you to acquire those channels on a per-viewer basis and with a markup so you profit. Is that so hard to do?

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