Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge added his two cents in the ongoing debate surrounding programmers that are taking their content over the top directly to consumers, adding that upcoming offerings from Home Box Office and CBS could actually help cable operators.
HBO announced plans last month to launch an over-the-top product initially aimed at broadband-only customers next year. CBS also unveiled its own OTT offering – CBS All Access – that will allow subscribers to see some shows live and on demand for $5.99 per month.
Rutledge, speaking on a conference call with analysts to discuss Charter’s third quarter results, said the OTT offerings and others like them could help unravel the practice of selling less attractive networks with more popular channels, also known as bundling. Distributors have long complained that they are forced to purchase channels their customers don’t want in order to get the networks they desire.
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