In a world where pay television and online TV services are demanding an ever-larger slice of your wallet or purse, one complaint rings more loudly than all others: "Why can't I just buy the channels I like?"

There are up to 113 billion reasons why, according to US media analyst Laura Martin.

Popular shows like Game of Thrones are often illegally downloaded in the face of expensive packages from pay TV providers.

A television industry built on "a la carte" channel choices would shed 124 channels, 1.4 million jobs and some $US45 billion ($A49.78 billion) in advertising revenue in the United States alone.

"Our calculations conclude that $US80 billion to $US113 billion of US consumer value would be destroyed by this shrinking channel choice," Martin said.