According to the LA Times Time Warner Cable will be launching a new service aimed towards customers who want a cheaper monthly service fee. TV Essentials will be tested in New York and Ohio and offers about 50 channels for about $50. The channel lineup consists of networks Time Warner has put together based on customer demands (determined by Nielsen ratings) and economics (based on cost-per-subscriber).
Customers interested in the TV Essentials package may be confused about the selection of channels. CNN, FX, TBS, Nickelodeon, Discovery, and Cartoon Network will be part of the lineup. And, premium channels such as HBO will also be available for an additional fee.
But customers will not get other top rated networks such as FOX News, ESPN, and MSNBC — channels that many customers would miss if they switched to the package. What may also be disappointing for many customers is that the new $50 service apparently does not include a DVR.
While TV Essentials offers a lower cost service package (something many subscribers are looking for), they will not have the option of selecting the channels they want. “This video-only package isn’t for everyone,” said Time Warner Cable Chief Executive Glenn Britt.
Major networks ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS will also be part of the TV Essentials lineup, but aren’t those channels available for free over-the-air anyway?
