How TV Helps Broadband Operators Grow Subscribers and Loyalty
As broadband competition intensifies, one thing remains clear: TV still matters.
Across rural and regional markets, operators are searching for smarter ways to deliver value. TV remains a proven differentiator not just for attracting new subscribers but also for retaining existing ones. The challenge is to do it without increasing operational costs or complexity.
Many operators have long hesitated to add or expand TV services. It’s not the value they question, but the perceived risk: rights management, technology overhead, and the fear of launching a service that’s difficult to scale. But new models, new workflows, and cloud-based platforms are reshaping what’s possible. TV can now be launched faster, maintained more easily, and monetized more effectively, even by operators with small teams and limited video experience.
What’s Holding TV Back?
Recent insights from broadband service providers reveal a consistent set of concerns that are slowing TV adoption or modernization:
- Legacy platforms are expensive to maintain and hard to integrate with modern IP delivery.
- Ad workflows are stuck in outdated QAM models that don’t support dynamic targeting.
- Content rights remain a major hurdle, especially when balancing national and local agreements.
- Many ISPs want to offer TV as part of a broadband bundle but are unsure how to do it cost-effectively.
These concerns are valid and common. In fact, they formed the basis for recent polling of broadband operators, where the majority cited content complexity, legacy limitations, and monetization barriers as their top challenges.
But these same operators also expressed a clear desire to move forward.
Modernization Without Disruption
Legacy TV systems were not designed for today’s broadband-first world. They require hardware nearing end-of-life, lack automation, and rely on monolithic software stacks that make updates slow and integration costly. Viewers expect to watch on any screen, at any time – and legacy user experiences simply can’t keep up.
To address this, operators are shifting toward cloud-native video delivery platforms that support faster launches, lighter infrastructure, and easier integration with OSS/BSS systems.
A phased approach is proving effective:
- New installations and upgrades are placed on the modern platform.
- Legacy systems are capped and retired over time.
- Subscribers migrated gradually with no channel loss or service disruption.
It’s not a rip-and-replace. It’s a transition, and it works.
Making Rights Management and Packaging Simpler
Rights management isn’t just about contracts – it’s about predictability, especially when working across different content sources, blackout rules, and device types.
Operators consistently flagged this issue in polling, with both national and local rights enforcement causing operational friction. This is especially true when building market-specific bundles or supporting catch-up, start-over, and fast-forward features.
Simplifying rights management requires:
- Clear mapping of content by region and use case
- Rights-aware UX across STBs and apps
- Automation of packaging rules and blackout enforcement
When done right, operators gain the flexibility to build compelling bundles that are competitive and compliant.
Ad Insertion: Protect First, Then Grow
The shift from QAM to IP is inevitable. But most operators today are still inserting ads through legacy workflows – meaning they’re missing the opportunity for better monetization through dynamic ad insertion.
A step-by-step path is emerging:
- Replicate existing QAM ad capabilities in IP to maintain current revenue levels.
- Introduce hybrid ad models, mixing scheduled inventory with programmatic or dynamic ads.
- Move toward full DAI, enabling geo-targeting, contextual ads, and new buyer access.
This gradual evolution protects revenue during the transition and opens the door to scalable, personalized monetization.
Making TV Launches ISP-Friendly
For operators launching TV for the first time, the most significant barrier isn’t cost, it’s confidence.
Most small to mid-size ISPs have strong broadband teams, but limited video expertise. That’s where managed and hosted video solutions come in, offering:
- Pre-integrated platforms
- Cloud-hosted headends
- OSS/BSS adapters
- Support for both STB and app-based delivery
The result is faster time-to-market, minimal operational overhead, and the flexibility to grow over time. TV becomes something operators can offer with confidence, not caution.
TV Still Drives Loyalty – When Done Right
The message is clear: TV is still a strategic asset for broadband providers. But to unlock its full value, it must be easier to deploy, operate, and monetize.
By adopting cloud-native platforms, simplifying content rights, and transitioning to smarter ad models, operators can turn TV into a loyalty engine – one that increases penetration, reduces churn, and delivers long-term value to subscribers.
Learn More
Want to Hear Directly From the Experts? You can get more insights based on the recent webinar, Win Broadband Subscribers with the Right TV Experience, hosted by the Fiber Broadband Association in partnership with Enghouse Networks and Whitepaw Solutions.
