Question

What are programming fees and why do Content Providers charge them?

Answer

The majority of your BVtv charges are passed on to cable network and broadcast station owners. Each service provider such as BVT, is under contract with these Content Providers and thus are charged a fee per channel, per month, per customer for the right to provide that station or network to you.

These fees have increased dramatically over the past several years and typically are renegotiated every two to five years.  You can find more information about that here.