
The Pay-TV Innovation Forum is a global research programme for senior pay-TV and content executives, developed by NAGRA and MTM, and designed to catalyse growth and innovation across the global TV industry, at a time of tremendous change and disruption.
As part of the programme, we are publishing a series of interviews with leading TV industry executives from around the world to explore their views, perspectives and experiences of innovation. In this interview, Stefan Van Engen, SVP Content Programming & Acquisitions at xumo, the AVOD OTT service, shares his views on growth of linear AVOD services and what that means for the pay-TV industry.
What impact do you expect linear AVOD OTT services to have on the pay-TV industry?
I believe that AVOD services could be a bigger disruptive force for the traditional pay-TV industry than big SVOD OTT services, like Netflix. I'd say that AVOD linear streaming services, like xumo, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, IMDb TV from Amazon and Samsung TV+, are more of a direct competitor. The usage of AVOD linear services is much more similar to traditional pay-TV - people can lean back, flip through channels and find something to watch like 24/7 news channels or just background television for thirty minutes. Whereas SVOD services are largely premium, add-on services to either traditional cable subscription or, increasingly, AVOD offerings. Maybe we're moving to a world where SVOD services will be consumers' active premium VOD choices, and AVOD services will offer the lean-back experience with great discovery functionality. Also, if we look at public statements from senior executives at the major media companies recently, SVOD fatigue is a key theme.
What do you think are the most exciting aggregation opportunities for pay-TV operators?
As audience tastes shift to different brands and content experiences, pay-TV operators are going to have to adapt their packages and aggregation strategies. Pay-TV operators today need to take away the need for consumers to use additional connected devices and aggregate all types of content that are being demanded. First, that means adding all SVOD services, such as Netflix, to their packages and making it easy for consumers to subscribe to them. However, it could also mean adding AVOD services, such as xumo, as well. AVOD linear streaming offers something different to traditional channels. For example, there's an audience now that has grown up with a content brand like Tastemade as their introduction to food television - not the Food Network - and, going forward, this audience is going to expect to be able to access this content through their pay-TV service.
Will we see more traditional content providers entering into advertising revenue-sharing deals?
Content providers distributing their content on AVOD services are getting used to advertising revenue-sharing deals. They're moving this way because they understand that advertising dollars are moving this way too - for example there are more upfront deals now for properties like The Roku Channel or Xumo - and they will want a share of those advertising revenues. The major, traditional content providers that can still collect both affiliate fees and advertising dollars will clearly stick with this model as long as possible but, for other players, this new model can be a way to monetise content effectively.
How can first-party data be used to improve consumer experiences or business outcomes?
As a digital-first business, we have lots of first-party data on our audiences such as location data and real video consumption data. We often stitch together programming from content providers and we can leverage this data when making these decisions, especially when supporting content partners who have vast libraries of content.
Aside from supporting with programming decisions, data is also being used to support our marketing activity. For example, if we see that a user has watched the PGA tour channel on xumo and loves the live events, we can target these users with second-screen reminders or retargeting campaigns to raise awareness of certain programming. It drives huge conversion rates from a marketing perspective.
We're also moving towards personalisation, although we're not quite there yet. We want to be able to offer recommendations based on the types of content and channels you like, or the time of day.
What impact will the digital giants have on the pay-TV industry?
I believe that the FAANGs will present partnership opportunities for the pay-TV industry, rather than pose a threat. There was real concern in the market when Facebook Watch was launched or when Snapchat announced they'd be investing in original content, but much of this appears to have been an over-reaction. While Google and Facebook do have enough data to serve you exactly what you want, when you want it and how you want it - which can drive consumption - I don't think people actually want to watch content in that way. I see a partnership-based future where they can help with targeting for more robust content platforms.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
25/04/2026
Mediagenix Sweeps 2026 NAB Awards With Wins for Product of the Year and Best of ...
25/04/2026
SCHOEPS Microphones Announces Desert Island Boom Set for NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 24, 2026
0 Comments
Compact modular set ideal for location sound ...
25/04/2026
Berklee Africana Studies Hosts Gospel Extravaganza 2026 The Signature Series event will honor three new inductees to the Berklee Gospel Hall of Fame and celeb...
25/04/2026
Student Spotlight: Siva Maja Gierszewska, who performs under the artist name Siva, shares how she found her songwriting confidence at Berklee.
April 24, 2026...
25/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
24/04/2026
Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) has announced a definitive agreement to acquire the intellectual property of the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes from 1/...
24/04/2026
Daktronics has partnered with DCL (Design Communications, Ltd.) to design, manuf...
24/04/2026
Chyron has announced PRIME Translate, a workflow solution that produces live content simultaneously in multiple languages within the PRIME platform. The system ...
24/04/2026
Eutelsat has announced a new partnership with Co-op Cable, introducing an expand...
24/04/2026
Pitch Dublin, an indoor golf simulation and hospitality venue on Dawson Street i...
24/04/2026
G&D and VuWall have announced two senior leadership appointments, effective Apri...
24/04/2026
Victory , the free sports streaming service from A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC), has announced a multi-year agreement to become the exclusive local streaming ho...
24/04/2026
The former business major from Massachusetts has found his home in graphics and bug operation while contributing to live ESPN productions
In the live-sports-vi...
24/04/2026
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and Spectrum have announced a multiyear carriage agreement making MASN available to Spectrum customers in areas of southe...
24/04/2026
The NFL Draft is rebuilt from the ground up in a new city every year. The three-day fan festival is expected to draw 500,000 or more attendees, with millions fo...
24/04/2026
Diversified has continued expansion of its sports and media capabilities to supp...
24/04/2026
NAB reports that the 2026 NAB Show wrapped with more than 58,000 registered atte...
24/04/2026
Clear-Com has announced significant updates to its Arcadia Central Station and E...
24/04/2026
NAB reports that the 2026 NAB Show wrapped with more than 58,000 registered atte...
24/04/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
24/04/2026
B/R NFL Draft Live' refines the digital giant's productions around footb...
24/04/2026
Study highlights five pillars shaping modern fan engagement as broadcasters reth...
24/04/2026
The 2026 event, the first Draft with NFL Network under the ESPN umbrella, will b...
24/04/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
24/04/2026
Integral to the Draft production for three almost decades, the company tells the...
24/04/2026
Championing documentaries that illuminate and expand the artform is at the core ...
24/04/2026
The Peabody Awards spotlight excellent work that endures. This year's winner...
24/04/2026
Earth Day is a chance to reflect on our connection to the natural world. To mark the 57th Earth Day on April 22, Spotify's editors have pulled together a co...
24/04/2026
This past weekend, Spotify was at the heart of the largest literary event in the...
24/04/2026
All data tells a story, and in our case, that story is written by you. To celebrate 20 years of Spotify, we're sharing bite sized moments that capture how t...
24/04/2026
Over the past 20 years, Spotify's look and feel has evolved with the way people use our platform, while ensuring we preserve an intuitive, personal, and fam...
24/04/2026
It's been 20 years since Spotify began, but the real story is what the world chose to play. For the first time, we're unveiling the most streamed artist...
24/04/2026
Whether you're relaxing at home or on the go, Spotify is there across more than 2,000 devices, ready with your favorites or something new to discover. Now, ...
24/04/2026
Nintendo and Spotify are welcoming fans to the Super Mario Bros. 40th anniversary and the release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie with new playlists and a speci...
24/04/2026
30 October - 1 November 2026
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) have announced that the AES Show 2026 will be held on Halloween weekend - Friday 30 October...
24/04/2026
New closed-back design promises honest' low end
Sennheiser have just announced the launch of a new pair of flagship closed-back headphones which they s...
24/04/2026
Powerful 12-channel hardware sequencer announced
Cre8audio are renowned for their innovative, and often visually striking designs, and although their latest...
24/04/2026
Room correction now supports full 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos setups
The software element of IK Multimedia's room-correction system has just received an update th...
24/04/2026
New content for BBO Tutti & BBO Riffs
VSL have recently introduced some new free content expansions for two of their most popular Big Bang Orchestra Packs: ...
24/04/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to highlight its R&S EVSD1000 UAV-based navigation analyzer at I...
24/04/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
24/04/2026
ITV's Director of Drama Polly Hill has commissioned six part propulsive, lun...
24/04/2026
The NASA 777 aircraft departs the L3Harris facility in Waco, Texas....
24/04/2026
WASHINGTON, April 23, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has closed a $1 b...