Who really wants all those networks?

I think $12.50 is perfectly acceptable for the second largest and likely most desirable premium network out there.

I'd expect that most folks probably watch fewer than a dozen channels with any regularity. Nielsen says that the average household was receiving 130 channels yet only watching 18 of them in 2008 [1].

I think we eventually get to an a-la-carte system with app-like monthly price points where premium content falls comes in at $5, $10 or more and there are dozens of solid options in the $1-3 range with loads of free (ad-supported) content.

1: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-content/uploads/2009/...

Really? I think the price is great, assuming it's a high quality stream with no ads, new episodes are made available promptly, and you intend to watch at least two or three HBO shows.

HBO's typically ~$7-10 on top of your normal cable bill anyway. If the regular networks went down this model, you'd probably be buying all of [Time Warner, NBC, Disney, Fox]'s channels at $10/mo rather than one by one.

It still beats buying it off iTunes, which can cost around $40 per show per season.

This I'm assuming you can probably subscribe when you need, watch all the shows, and then unsubscribe.

How many shows do you actually watch? I'm not talking about the crap you let play while you walk around the house.

I watch quite a few shows across different networks. I guess this is a good start though. If they did follow with options similar to posted in the previous comments then I feel it would be superb... Though I feel like these days it rarely happens.