11 / 16
www.alliancecom.net
11
Over the past couple of years, some programmers drastically altered their content without
a say from the customer or TV providers. One example of this was the rebranding of the
History 2 channel as Viceland, which bears little resemblance to its predecessor. Alliance
also had to move channels to different packages and line up positions due to contract terms,
not customer demand or viewing habits. In the end, these forced changes resulted in higher
prices for customers, but the quality of programming didn’t necessarily improve.
How does this happen?
It’s a matter of power: Just five multi-billion-dollar corporations own or control about 90
percent of existing TV networks. While we work hard to keep these costs under control,
these companies continue to use their power to demand more money.
Comcast, Walt Disney, 21st Century Fox, CBS/Viacom and Time Warner own most of the
networks you want, as well as many of those you don’t. And they won’t let you have the
most-popular networks unless you get the less-popular ones, too. It’s simple economics:
They need more viewers for these less-popular networks to increase their subscriber fees
and their advertising fees—so they can make more money.
The average household watches only 16 channels regularly. But when programmers pack-
age all of their networks together, they create bloated channel lineups and expensive monthly
cable TV bills.
To help fight against excessive network fee increases from large, powerful media con-
glomerates, we’re a member of the National Cable Television Cooperative, a collective
of more than 900 independent cable TV and broadband providers across the United
States. This allows us to negotiate programming contracts as a nationwide group to
gain cost benefits, but we still face an uphill battle.
As long as there is a demand for cable TV, we’ll remain committed to providing you with a
quality product at the best price possible. If you’re looking for alternative viewing options,
such as watching TV programs and movies through Internet streaming services, we can
help you select the right Internet package to ensure you have an enjoyable experience.
Alliance also is exploring other video options that may give you more freedom to watch
what you want, or at least eliminate some of what you don’t want. However, these options
will still depend on a fast and reliable network to your home. Alliance is here to provide that
network and keep you connected to your neighbors and the rest of the world.
5 Companies Control
90%of ExistingTV
Networks
Comcast
Revenue:
$68.0B
Total Brands:
160+
Key Brands:
NBC, Universal Studios,
Comcast, Comcast Sports Nets,
MSNBC, USA Network, Telemundo
TheWalt Disney Company
Revenue:
$48.8B
Total Brands:
130+
Key Brands:
ABC, Freeform, ESPN,
Disney Channel, Disney Parks, A&E,
History, Lifetime, Pixar
21st Century Fox
Revenue:
$32.69B
Total Brands:
28 (175+ with News
Corps)
Key Brands:
Fox, Fox News, FX, Fox
Sports, Nat Geo, 21st Century Fox,
My Network TV
CBS/Viacom
Revenue:
$28.8B
Total Brands:
330+
Key Brands:
Showtime, CBS, Comedy
Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1,
Paramount Pictures, almost 30 TV
and 110 radio stations
TimeWarner
Revenue:
$22.1B
Total Brands:
315+
Key Brands:
HBO, CNN, TBS, TNT, CW,
People, Entertainment Weekly
*The Media Monopoly and Yahoo Finance
Your CableTV Bill has 2 Big Cost Buckets
Programming costs – 99% of your cable TV bill*
• Retransmission Fees from local stations CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox
• Cable Network Fees from channels like ESPN,
Fox Sports North, Disney and Nickelodeon
Cost of service – 1% of your cable TV bill
• Updating and maintaining infrastructure
• Service calls
*Based on programming costs for the Basic Choice package.