The day when people are no longer forced to pay for dozens of cable channels they never watch seems to be coming nearer. But subscribers may want to be careful what they wish for.

On Monday, the Dish Network unveiled a new web streaming service with a handful of cable channels, including ESPN. It is the latest move toward a world in which people assemble a bundle of TV programming options piece by piece (a little Netflix here, HBO’s new streaming service there, Dish’s new Sling TV for some sports) rather than send a monthly check to their cable company for dozens upon dozens of channels packaged together.

Eventually, cable companies may have little choice but to unbundle themselves, whether because of the competitive threat from various stand-alone streaming services or regulatory pressure. It would, at first glance, excite anyone who has ever groaned at the size of a cable bill and the number of channels that hold zero interest.

My colleague Josh Barro covered the economics of cable unbundling last year. Several studies have shown that, contrary to many peoples’ intuition, the unbundling of cable service could actually lead to slightly higher prices for fewer channels.