Hello everyone.

Yesterday, we discussed how YouTube is increasing TV pricing by $8/month (to $73/month). In today’s update, we will continue the discussion by going over a few things that have been on Neil’s mind. The update then turns to Amazon announcing another 9,000 layoffs. The company’s explanation for why it didn’t announce all of the layoffs at the same time raises more questions than answers.

Slim Cable Bundle Illusions

For much of the 2010s, the tech industry dedicated resources and attention to rethinking the TV experience. Frustrations with the big cable bundle had reached unsustainable levels.

Some people thought Netflix, HBO, and Hulu would cause the cable bundle to implode. Others expected sports leagues to go direct to fans, removing oxygen from cable bundles. À la carte became a popular phrase for describing how the cable bundle could potentially be unbundled into individual channels or even shows. In addition to positioning apps as the future of TV, Apple looked at a few ideas such as offering a bundle consisting of a few dozen existing cable channels.

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