Survey says unbundling sports is the way to go

The GIST: A new poll of American television viewers indicates the majority are #TeamCharter — or, at least they're not #TeamDisney. Major takeaways from the survey suggest Charter is spot on in believing in the unbundle, and since Charter is willing to walk away from sports entirely, it's time to acknowledge that the customer is always right.

92%: The percentage of Americans who say the cost of a video subscription is important in their decision to subscribe. Two-thirds say cost is "very important," while only 24% believe sports programming is "very important" when choosing whether to subscribe.

86%: Those who opposed the notion that cable companies should have to pay a fee for customers who don’t buy ESPN. In fact, 66% of respondents "strongly opposed" this and, considering it’s the crux of the Disney-Charter dispute, it doesn't bode well for Mickey.

65%: The percentage of adults who would not pay for ESPN separately if it was an option. However, 63% don’t want cable news either, and 64% would ditch broadcast news. Reality bites.

74%: The percentage of respondents who believe ESPN has too much control over sports programming. It may be a leader among sports networks, but it's not the cash cow it used to be and if Disney continues to move away from cable in favor of ESPN+, the Charter dispute would be moot.

78%: The percentage of Americans — including 78% of sports-watchers — who prefer unbundled, cost-effective cable packages compared to expensive bundles with specialty channels. This sentiment was even felt strongly by ESPN viewers: 76% would prefer the choice to opt out of specialty channels. See ya.