A Good Idea: Ask Customers What They Want

While rummaging around the Internet yesterday I came across an interesting item: Insight cable, a medium-sized operator serving parts of the Midwest, has a survey on its website asking customers which HD channels they'd most like to see added to Insight's high-def lineup. Choices include some well-known HD favorites such as CNN HD, Food Network HD and HGTV HD along with some HD newbies like ESPNEWS HD and some channels that aren't even available in high-def yet like ESPNU and Fox News.

This is an outstanding idea and Insight is to be applauded for actually caring what its customers think. Too often it seems like cable companies add high-def channels in a haphazard manner with bizarre or no rationale. [As an example, someone please explain to me how SureWest, a small cable overbuilder in Sacramento, offers 50 high-def channels but not yet ESPN2 HD. They even offer the Big Ten Network HD -- in California! -- but not ESPN2 HD. Just plain weird.]

Some cable companies like Time Warner have an email link on their website from which you can suggest new channels for them to include, but I've never seen a cable provider survey its customers publicly with an actual list of channels from which their customers can pick their top choices.

So bravo, Insight. More cable companies should follow your lead.