Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

For Game of Thrones, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, PLUS HBO Go... I have no problem paying for my HBO subscription.

I had Showtime and Cinemax for awhile but didn't find it worth the value, except for the occasional special programming and the fisting of mary margaret

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

These 2 guys have something to say about that:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KIA29o1q2KQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Seriously, how many here have never heard of Strike Back? It's going into season 2 this August. Or season 3 if you count the UK 1st season.

Here's a 5 minute highlight reel of the Cinemax season from last summer. Forward it to 1:30 for alll the good stuff:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qhKfC2LMkMI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Plus, as I said in my OP they have Banshee (Alan Ball's new show), Hunted (Frank Spotnitz's new show) and The Transporter (with Chris Vance) coming out in the next 6 months to 1-year. They are slowly getting there with original shows.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

The one thing I think HBO does smarter than the others is they keep their original programming going basically through the year. When one of their big series ends they always seem to have another batch ready to go.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

Same here. It's not worth paying the fee when even the HD channels crop the image. That bothers me to no end.

That being said, I would vote for HBO only for the original series.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

Personally I subscribe to HBO and Showtime, and my provider generally throws Starz in as part of the deal - but I've never paid for it.

HBO and Showtime hands down deliver some of my favorite original programming and at every part of the year there is always something to watch and something to look forward to. Starz has some pretty good movies, but I've found most of their original programming to be lacking.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

We get them all, but HBO and Sho by far are the most watched. I couldn't imagine not having HBO, with the concerts, boxing, Bill Maher, fantastic originals, etc.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

If you care about movies don't get Showtime.

They don't have a large selection and you have to wait a long time for the premiere of the big theatrical hits longer than HBO and Starz.



HBO has a movie premiere every Sat the same with Starz.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

/\ I've noticed that Starz doesn't always have a Saturday premiere; sometimes, they'll play a movie that has been on for a few months already Saturdays at 9PM.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

HBO by far. I finally broke down and got HBO because of Game of Thrones. Amazing. With HBOgo, I can watch every episode of all their hit series on demand. I like showtime mostly because of Homeland and Borgias but not every episode was in HD and the showtime app isn't currently supported by my cable provider.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

Still too cheap to cough-up the money for them. Even though there have been numerous shows I've been a fan of. Thinking of that though, every HBO show I've ever purchased was a total blind-buy...maybe I should give these bastards my money.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

I didn't pay for any premium channels until just last year when Game of Thrones started, and it's the one series I couldn't wait for. For the first year, after I threatened to cancel my cable, they discounted my cable service and I got HBO and Showtime for free. I think HBO is worth it for $15 a month, and Showtime is probably worth slightly less, or only worth $15 when Dexter and Homeland are back on for me. I only watch three channels, AMC (Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Walking Dead) HBO (Game of Thrones + back episodes of shows on HBO Go) and Showtime (Dexter and Homeland), and for most of them I could just buy dvd sets and watch the shows that way, although a year behind. HBO Go is a significant add for me to be able to go back and watch Entourage, Boardwalk Empire and some other shows I haven't gotten to yet. I've already made it through The Wire, Sopranos and Flight of the Conchords. I just wish I could pay for them without the cable subscription.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

If not for the current shows, having hbo go essentially gives you the entire library

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

Is $8 extra for Cinemax worth it?

The thing that sucks about the Starz Super Pack package is that half of the channels are not in HD like Mystery, Action, Family, Love, Suspense, and Westerns channels.


All of the channels in the HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax packages are in HD.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

Well they have strike back..and there is another original programming..You get some more softcore porn movies (But Showtime has plenty of that if need be).

I have Cinemax for free for 6 months, I don't think I am going to miss it once it is gone.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

I have HBO, Showtime and Starz in Comcast.

I pay $6/month for each channel, yeah they gave me a discount.

HBO is the only one that deserves $10 or more because of HBO Go.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

Showtime will need to continue popping out shows like Dexter & Homeland for many years to catch up with The King (HBO).

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

I voted support through DVD however the only ones I really have are BoB and The Pacific so in reality I can't be considered an ardent supporter. I switched from cable to DISH and back to cable and to be honest, once the promotional period is over I can get by just fine with basic packages. Yes there are some nice channels but I just don't think they are worth the money.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

I have HBO and Showtime plus The Movie Channel through Fios... My ST and TMC are free and I have HBO for $5.00 a month for the year. They are worth it for that much but I wouldn't pay more. I love most of the OG programming on both but I can be patient and wait for it.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

I went with NONE even thought I buy the shows I want on on DVD. I didn't choose that option because I didn't like the "I can't afford it" part. I can afford it, I just choose not have a regular subscription to premium channels because when I did I found that I almost never watched them except for shows I was going to buy anyway. Once I got the DVR I often didn't get around to watching something until after the DVD was out. If I can get a deal on HBO or Showtime I'll do it because for I'll watch for a month or two before I get bored of them.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

Game of Thrones and True Blood make HBO a must for spring/summer. The Borgias/Big Brother for spring/summer on Sho.. I used to watch Dexter, but am behind a couple of seasons...

I generally only get Starz to watch Spartacus. Last summer, I added it for Torchwood: Miracle Day, which was sorta ok, but still a disappointment overall.

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

It's actually The Movie Channel's sister stations (Part of the Showtime branch) that shows the most softcore flicks....Yeah, believe me. I know. :o

I'm subscribed to all the channels in the poll, but I'm the last person to go to for comparison of the TV series. Always been a movie,documentary,boxing guy (I'm over stand-up comedy)

If you're serious about a diverse selection of movies, I'll echo Jeff on the Starz super pack because you'll get movies that were made before the 80's (Something that HBO & *Cinemax fails to do) through their Encore channels (Starz Cinema is also a good place for recent critically-acclaimed foreign films) but, as was already mentioned, the drawback is that much of the Encore channels aren't in HD.

*Sorry to go off on a rant here, but it really pains me to see how far Cinemax has fallen. Back in the 90's, that station was THE supreme movie channel. I remember watching:
-Troma triple features
-Sergio Leone triple features (Still have to thank that one for introducing me to Good,Bad,Ugly)
-Bruce Lee triple features
-Random Indies (The Living End,Laws of Gravity)
-"Where-the-hell-did-they-dig-that-up?" stuff (American Pop,The Deadliest Art,Basket Case,Hitz)
-NC-17 fare (Working Girls,Henry,Prospero's Books)
-Marty Scorsese introducing Wages of Fear (Still have that taped)
-....And ol' school softcore imports that featured ladies with pubic hair(!!!)

Re: Which premium channel(s) do you think is worth the money?
 

Of the shows listed, Homeland is the only one worth paying for. IMO.