The long-awaited dream of a la carte TV—where viewers pay only for the channels they want—has finally arrived in 2025, but the reality is proving far pricier than fans hoped. Last week, REELZ launched REELZ+, a streaming-only service at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year giving you access to its network live in app. Reelz joined CNBC, which debuted its CNBC+ streaming option earlier this year at a steep $14.99 monthly fee. Also, many Regional Sports Networks or RSNs now charge $19.99 a month or more. While these moves signal a shift away from bloated cable bundles, the costs are raising eyebrows and sparking debate: is this truly consumer freedom, or just a new way for networks to squeeze the same revenue from fewer wallets? As of March 24, 2025, the trend is clear—cable networks, once fattened by universal subscriber fees, are scrambling to adapt, but the price tags suggest they’re not letting go of profits easily.
REELZ+, announced last week, offers its full slate of true crime and celebrity docs—think Autopsy and Behind Closed Doors—directly to streamers on Roku and Fire TV. At $4.99 monthly (or $4.17/month annually), it’s a bargain compared to CNBC+, which rolled out in January for $14.99 per month ($99.99/year introductory rate expired), delivering live financial news and on-demand clips. Yet, these “affordable” standalone options pale next to the old cable model, where networks raked in fees from millions who never tuned in.
The math exposes the catch. YouTube TV charges $82.99 for about 100 channels—about $0.82 cents per channel—subsidizing niche players like REELZ (252,000 viewers in 2022) or CNBC. A la carte flips that: REELZ’s $4.99 is 10 times the bundle rate, and CNBC’s $14.99 is 30 times higher. Stack REELZ+, CNBC+, and, say, a hypothetical ESPN+ standalone ($20-$25 speculated), and you’re at $40-$45 monthly—half a cable bill for a fraction of the channels.
At issue here is the fact that cable TV networks got used to high revenue from viewers forced to pay for their network even if they don’t want it. Now cable TV networks are trying to keep the same revenue by charging those who actually watch their networks more in order to make up for all the lost revenue from people who paid but never watched.
For consumers, it’s a mixed bag. Diehards get REELZ or CNBC without cable clutter, and if you only want a handful of channels, this could still be cheaper. But if you are looking for a larger number of channels, a streaming service like YouTube TV, Fubo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, etc, can quickly be cheaper.
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