
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
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
02/07/2025
Hege Wik and Odin appear in FOLKTALES by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institut...
02/07/2025
(Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Patty Consolazio
This one's for any person who's ever felt put down, left out, marginaliz...
02/07/2025
Calrec expands ecosystem at NAB 2025 giving broadcasters access to dynamic workflows and ultimate flexibility Helping broadcasters meet the shifting needs of me...
02/07/2025
NEW YORK Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump, ending a long-running legal saga that could clear the way...
02/07/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved the transfer of licenses for five TV stations from Sinclair to Rincon Broadcasting, which announce...
02/07/2025
As the media industry faces an uncertain business climate and rapidly changing consumer habits, TV Tech's most popular stories from the first six months of ...
02/07/2025
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. New data shows that U.S. homes now own an average of two smart TVs, with Samsung and LG dominating the market but Roku and FireTV continue to g...
02/07/2025
LOS ANGELES Funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management have acquired FilmRise, an independent digital streaming content distributor, and merged it with Shout! ...
02/07/2025
WASHINGTON The Advanced Television Systems Committee named Luiz Fausto vice president of standards development, succeeding ATSC vice president Jerry Whitaker, w...
02/07/2025
Boston Conservatory and the Sphinx Organization Join Forces to Make Classical Ed...
02/07/2025
02 Jul 2025
VEON Raises USD 200 Million in Private Bond Placement Dubai, July 1, 2025: VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator ( VEON ), announces ...
02/07/2025
Brand new factual series follows mechanic and self-taught engineer Dom Chinea as he makes the move of his life to the far west of Cornwall
UKTV today announces...
02/07/2025
Progressive realism: Aurora on taking up the broadcast reins for World RX alongs...
02/07/2025
Great speed: New host broadcaster Aurora on getting the World RX 2025 season pro...
02/07/2025
Seat of its pants: Aurora boxes clever and looks ahead for the FIA as new host b...
02/07/2025
UEFA Women's Euro 2025: EBU, BBC Sport and Sunset Vine talk coverage plans, ...
02/07/2025
UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Women's Super League launches new content series...
02/07/2025
UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Ignite puts fans and players front and centre with t...
02/07/2025
Storytelling in the Live Game Broadcast: ESPN Director Jimmy Platt Breaks Down t...
02/07/2025
CONCACAF's Miguel Angel Garcia on the Gold Cup's Enhanced 2025 Productio...
02/07/2025
Rohde & Schwarz acquires ZES ZIMMER Electronic Systems GmbH and expands its T&M ...
02/07/2025
Wuppertal July 2, 2025
Riedel Communications Launches RefSuite Ecosystem for S...
02/07/2025
Andrew will serve as Chair of ABC alongside his role at NED, APL Media, where he supports the executive team with strategic insight and global expansion plans. ...
02/07/2025
Black Forest Labs, one of the world's leading AI research labs, just changed the game for image generation.
The lab's FLUX.1 image models have earned g...
01/07/2025
The launch of Code of Silence, coupled with the Britains Got Talent semi final, gave ITV its best Sunday night of 2025.
The first episode of the new crime dr...
01/07/2025
ITV and Mammoth Screen have announced the start of filming for Betrayal, a gripp...
01/07/2025
L3Harris Technologies has delivered its second Bombardier Global 6500 missionize...
01/07/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., July 1, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its second quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, Ju...
01/07/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
01/07/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has rejected license challenges to three full-power Baltimore TV stations, renewing the licenses for Chesapeake...
01/07/2025
Dalet has released a new update to its Dalet Flex media workflow platform, introducing powerful new capabilities to its flagship platform....
01/07/2025
NEWARK, N.J. With the FIFA Club World Cup final rapidly approaching and the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup now less than a year away, interest in soccer in th...
01/07/2025
COW Job Listing: Laser Engraved Logo
Brie Clayton July 1, 2025
0 Comments
Laser engraved logo
July 1, 2025Steffie Beltt's Mi Amor Music Video Cr...
01/07/2025
LeGrow.Studio Builds Broadcast Hub for ePro League
Brie Clayton July 1, 2025
0 Comments
TEM Constellation HD and BlackmagicURSA Broadcast G2 drive liv...
01/07/2025
Beeble launches SwitchLight 2.0, bringing AI-powered relighting to any footage
Brie Clayton July 1, 2025
0 Comments
New AI model delivers full-scene p...
01/07/2025
Steffie Beltt's Mi Amor Music Video Created with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton July 1, 2025
0 Comments
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K digital film camera...
01/07/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement and Media Bureaus have entered into a consent decree with Sinclair to resolve a variety of in...
01/07/2025
DENVER Low-power television (LPTV) station owners looking to navigate the complexities of selling their assets in todays dynamic media environment are invited t...
01/07/2025
NASA announced today that live programming from its NASA+ channel will be available on Netflix starting sometime this summer....
01/07/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has appointed Katie McAuliffe to serve as policy advisor in his office....
01/07/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. Alphabet's GFiber, the broadband provider formerly known as Google Fiber, has announced that it recently worked with Nokia to demonstr...
01/07/2025
NEW YORK, N.Y. DoubleVerify (DV) has announced the launch of DV Authentic Attention for Social. The product will first launch with Snap, the owner of Snapchat....
01/07/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has rejected license challenges to three full-power Baltimore TV stations and agreed to renew the license for C...
01/07/2025
Compact new converter lets users capture live NDI and streaming sources into software over a USB interface
Video interface and IP workflow innovator Magewell ...
01/07/2025
Disguise, the award-winning tech company driving visuals for Broadway and West End hits including Redwood, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and Disney's Fr...
01/07/2025
Vocal-processing plug-in joins NOIZ Hub series
Launched in 2024, KIT Plugins' NOIZ Hub series was created with the aim of providing a range of professio...
01/07/2025
New self-paced learning programme announced
Mastering.com have announced the availability of a new online course designed to cover the fundamentals of maste...
01/07/2025
Historic appointment ushers in unified leadership for WRAL-TV, New Media, and Digital Solutions
RALEIGH, N.C. - 6-27-25 - Capitol Broadcasting Company is prou...