Revolutionising the TV industry: how smaller telcos and ISPs are competing with the giants

In the fiercely competitive landscape of telecommunications, providing a top-notch TV service is no longer a luxury but a necessity. However, for many Tier 2 and Tier 3 telcos and ISPs, diving into the TV service sector can feel like a high-stakes gamble. Lacking the extensive infrastructure, technical expertise and capital their larger counterparts enjoy, these smaller operators are often caught between the rock of consumer demand and the hard place of operational complexity and financial risk.

Imagine you’re a regional ISP, diligently working to deliver fast and reliable internet to your customers. Now, you’re tasked with providing a comprehensive TV service that rivals offerings from the likes of industry giants. It’s a daunting challenge: building a robust TV platform requires significant investment in technology, continual content management and the agility to adapt to rapidly changing consumer preferences. The reality is that, for many, the cost-benefit analysis simply doesn’t add up. The result? Many telcos are stuck offering subpar TV services, or worse, none at all, which can hinder growth and leave customers dissatisfied.

The stakes are high. Recent studies show that households with bundled TV and internet services have significantly higher customer retention rates than those with standalone services. For instance, a report by Deloitte revealed that 40 per cent of consumers are more likely to stay with their current provider if they are satisfied with their TV service. Moreover, Parks Associates found that 23 per cent of broadband households in the US subscribe to a traditional pay TV service specifically to access live sports and news. These figures underscore the importance of a strong TV offering, not just as an added service but as a critical component of customer satisfaction and retention. For smaller telcos and ISPs, failing to meet these expectations can result in losing competitive edge and revenue streams in an increasingly saturated market.

Today, the pay TV market is highly fragmented, especially with smaller local players serving specific regions. This fragmentation presents numerous challenges in building, operating and evolving a service and its underlying technology. For instance, Europe alone hosts over 200 pay TV providers, most of which have fewer than 500,000 subscribers. This scale is modest compared to the vast markets in APAC and North America, posing significant competitive disadvantages.

However, the internet presents a substantial opportunity for these small to mid-sized pay TV providers. For decades, leveraging managed services has been a common practice, allowing providers to focus on core business activities while outsourcing technical operations. Traditionally, this model has limitations in scalability and often involves extensive on-premises integration, requiring significant in-house resources.

This is where Agile Content TV as a Service (TVaaS) comes in, offering a lifeline to telcos and ISPs navigating these treacherous waters. Agile Content’s innovative solution does more than just provide the necessary technology; it transforms the entire approach to delivering TV services. By leveraging Agile Content’s platform, operators can bypass the traditional hurdles associated with TV service deployment.

Partnering for success

Agile Content’s TVaaS is designed to help every telco and ISP dive into the exciting world of TV without the usual headaches. The service lowers the risks of entering the TV business while generating real value through advanced technology, efficient operations and innovative solutions. Agile Content takes on the complexities of TV management by offering hard bundles that encompass all essentials, as well as soft bundles that are modular and adaptable, catering to the distinct needs of each operator. This includes options for using their own imagery and custom-branded interfaces, ensuring a seamless and personalised user experience.

End-to-end solutions for the TV ecosystem

What sets Agile Content apart is its comprehensive TV as a Service platform that does it all – from content processing and subtitling preparation to content management, video delivery, device assistance and front-end apps. This end-to-end solution for the TV ecosystem ensures every aspect of TV service is seamlessly covered, offering operators and their customers a unified experience. The TVaaS is fully modular, allowing operators to tailor their service by selecting only the components they need, ensuring flexibility and alignment with specific customer requirements.

Bundling and super aggregation

With consumer demand shifting towards streaming platforms and online TV programs, Agile Content excels in super aggregation, allowing operators to offer aggregated video and TV content as a value-added service. Super aggregation is the process of bringing together a wide range of content from various streaming services, traditional TV channels and on-demand platforms into a single, cohesive interface. This means that instead of customers needing to subscribe to multiple services separately and juggle between different apps, they can access all their favourite shows, movies and live TV through one unified platform. By bundling TV services with broadband and mobile plans, telcos can attract more customers, increase their average revenue per user (ARPU) and reduce churn.

Commitment to innovation and revenue sharing

Agile Content isn’t just a service provider but a true partner in success. Its commitment to revenue-sharing guarantees ongoing innovation, ensuring telcos and ISPs remain competitive with cutting-edge offerings. Agile Content is not afraid to take risks, investing in its partners’ TV businesses to help them succeed.

Scalability and advanced technology

One of Agile Content’s key advantages is scale. With over 850,000 users on its platform and technology deployed in more than 50 million broadband households, Agile Content offers a scale advantage that is critical to success in the global telecoms sector. Its product portfolio includes a private CDN, streaming origination, packaging and encryption, recordings and subtitling, along with a versatile and TV-optimised CMS and the leading Android device-management solution.

In a market where consumer expectations are continually rising, Agile Content TV as a Service provides telcos and ISPs with the tools and partnerships needed to offer a top-tier TV service. By handling the complexities and sharing the risks, Agile Content allows operators to focus on what they do best, while ensuring their TV offerings are competitive, scalable and profitable.

The future of TV is here, and with Agile Content, it’s more accessible and manageable than ever.

For more information, visit agilecontent.com