Half of Europe can just buy their DVB-compatible DVR's in a store and hook them up to their residential cable service. Why can't US Cable and satellite providers offer more flexibility in this?
Not everyone wants OTA/Broadcast networks. I can receive them and record them for 100% free, why would I want to pay for them? Offer packages without OTA/Broadcast networks.
Allow people to pick individual sports teams. In the Los Angeles market there are 10 professional teams (2 NFL, 2 MLB, 2 NBA, 2 NHL, 2 MLS), 2 major PAC12 universities, and countless of minor league and college teams..... and people don't want to pay for ALL of that when they just want to watch their ONE favorite team.
Channels" is becoming a thing of the past. "On Demand" is where it is headed. Either get with the program and offer easy access to on-demand programming by combining the "lock" API's on channel websites into a dedicated interface that can pull it up, or start to become irrelevant.
Allow your channel "app" to work with other providers and on mobile networks. DirecTV already does that because until they were bought by AT&T weren't a player in the internet market, so had to allow it to all internet providers.... but most cable providers only allow you to use live stream apps when you are connected to their internet as a provider.
There are many ways in which TV providers can become more flexible, but they refuse to do so, and put it off on "the content providers" as a scapegoat. It's always someone else's fault, never their own. They need to grow some cohones and start standing up against them and say this is is how this next deal will go, take it or leave it. And if they leave it, then leave them black until the next provider comes along for negotiation..... You may have to buckle up and lose some customers at first, but if you play your cards right and become the TV provider where you can pick your own equipment and flexible packages...... there is no reason to think they couldn't survive in the 21st century. But quite frankly, they are a bit too late to act already, because by the time they figure it out.... they will have already lost another few million customers.