Consumers would not necessarily be better off if cable and satellite TV firms were required to offer a la carte pricing for individual channels, because the networks' programming charges and the satellite-and-cable fees could adjust in response to this rule.
Responses
© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
18%
18%
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5%
10%
48%
3%
Responses weighted by each expert's confidence
© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
0%
10%
4%
78%
8%
Participant |
University |
Vote |
Confidence |
Bio/Vote History |
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 Daron Acemoglu |
MIT | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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 Alberto Alesina |
Harvard | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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 Joseph Altonji |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Alan Auerbach |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 David Autor |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Katherine Baicker |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Marianne Bertrand |
Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Raj Chetty |
Harvard | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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 Judith Chevalier |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Bundling creates opportunities for rent extraction not available if this tool is removed.
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 Janet Currie |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 David Cutler |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Angus Deaton |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Darrell Duffie |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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I hardly ever watch television, let alone follow the industry. Sorry!
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 Aaron Edlin |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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in addition, requirements of a la carte pricing are likely to be ineffective without a ban on bundled pricing.
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 Barry Eichengreen |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Ray Fair |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Pinelopi Goldberg |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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See: Crawford, G. and Ali Yurukoglu. 2012. "The Welfare Effects of Bundling in Multichannel Television Markets." AER, 102(2):643–85
-see background information here |
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 Claudia Goldin |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Austan Goolsbee |
Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Michael Greenstone |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Robert Hall |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Bundling is the natural pricing model with fairly homogeneous preferences. Consumers with low values would gain from unbundling.
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 Bengt Holmström |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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This is an analyzable question, I just haven't seen it done. In a non-collusive market (not the reality) requirements would be unnecessary.
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 Caroline Hoxby |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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The bundling is likely good for some consumers and back for others. There are few if any models of bundling in which it is bad for all.
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 Kenneth Judd |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Anil Kashyap |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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A la carte unfortunately is not a panacea.
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 Pete Klenow |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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I can imagine scenarios with small gains to consumers in the short run. And in the long run programming quality and variety might fall.
-see background information here |
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 Edward Lazear |
Stanford | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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 Jonathan Levin |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Hard to say b/c offerings, prices might change - see, e.g. Crawford & Yurukoglu's careful AER study that shows uncertain effects.
-see background information here |
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 Eric Maskin |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 William Nordhaus |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Maurice Obstfeld |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Emmanuel Saez |
Berkeley | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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 José Scheinkman |
Columbia University | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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 Richard Schmalensee |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Hyun Song Shin |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 James Stock |
Harvard | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
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 Nancy Stokey |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Richard Thaler |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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Both prix fixe and a la carte have their place. But to paraphrase Mark Knofler, I want my, I want my, I want my Daily Show.
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 Christopher Udry |
Northwestern | Bio/Vote History | ||
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 Luigi Zingales |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
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