The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) recent decision suggesting that consumers should be able to buy cable channels individually through "a la carte" pricing holds a silver lining for cable and satellite TV service providers, says Gerard Keane, a managing director with BearingPoint, Inc., a leading global management and technology consulting firm.

"'A la carte' programming is an inevitable and natural evolution for multichannel operators based on commoditization and customization trends in other industries, as well as from the possible competition from Internet protocol TV (IPTV)," said Keane. "The move could lead to more efficient programming, re-negotiating channel fees, improving market segmentation, as well the opportunity to enter other revenue areas including voice-over IP (VoIP), high speed data, and targeted interactive advertising."

Keane believes multichannel television operators, such as cable TV and satellite TV operators, should also strongly consider launching mobile converged services, or "quad play" opportunities to exploit "a la carte" programming and bring their service directly to individual user devices such as personal computers, cell phones or PDAs.