Yearly Archives: 2015

Over the past few years, cable operators have been struggling to figure out what to make of the over-the-top (OTT) video trend. Questions abound: Is OTT content a viable substitute for traditional, tiered—or grouped—channel packages? Can the two models operate side by side?

Opinions on OTT content will vary greatly amongst different cable operators. In light of the widespread confusion surrounding OTT content, however, the general consensus over the past few years has been that it most likely would never replace tiered content. OTT was always thought to be a supplementary service incapable of challenging the likes of lineups featuring ESPN, HBO, AMC, FOX and other heavyweights. More

Great Lakes Data Systems (GLDS) and Source Cable, a television service provider based in Hamilton, Ontario, share a special relationship. As a longtime GLDS customer, as well as an alpha and beta tester for new GLDS products and features, Source Cable provides invaluable feedback on new solutions, which GLDS uses to ensure its products are agent-friendly and market-ready before they are released.

Just recently, Source Cable, recently acquired by Rogers Communications, became an early adopter of GLDS’ new subscriber management platform, BroadHub—the next generation of GLDS’ previous flagship platform, WinCable—which Source is now using to manage a customer base of about 20,000. More

The broadband industry was holding its collective breath entering 3Q15, after an especially shaky second quarter that saw a record 625,000 video customers cut their cords in favor of online video.

Those fears were eased, however, with welcome news that the industry bounced back for a particularly strong third quarter—indicating that the industry could in fact end the year on a high note if this strong subscriber trends continue. More

Right now, the US is facing a challenge in regard to nationwide broadband adoption. On one hand, the country is moving full speed ahead on the long road towards becoming a “smart country,” as cities and private organizations are working together to proliferate the Internet of Things (IoT). On the other hand, a large percentage of the American population still lacks high speed broadband connectivity. More

Meet your customer, Joe: If there’s one thing that Joe can’t stand, it’s paying for things he won’t use. So Joe hates the idea of buying a full Pay TV package, knowing full and well that he only typically watches the Mets, SportsCenter, local news and football on Sundays.

Say what you will about Joe’s television viewing habits, but he likes what he likes. And similarly to many of your customers, he’s on a super-tight budget and doesn’t want to overpay for channels that he will never watch—like home gardening, or cartoons. More

How would you like to generate more revenue through the voice service your company offers its customers?

One way you can do this is to look beyond the basic VoIP services your business is offering, and into a wireless calling solution.

But wait, you say, I’m not a mobile provider, I’m a broadband provider! How is this possible? More

Let’s face it: Cable video, though widely-popular amoun consumers and an integral part of your business, has never been a highly-profitable vertical. And research shows that over the next few years, global cable television revenues are going to drop significantly.

By 2020, for instance, global cable television revenues will drop from 46 percent of the total pay TV market to 40 percent. At this time, total revenue will amount to $81.9 billion. In 2012, by comparison, revenues amounted to $93.8 billion. More

Meet Jake: Jake loves to stream Netflix from his home television, while chatting with his friends on his tablet and checking email on his smartphone.

How is Jake able to do all of this? It’s because he doesn’t have a capped data plan for home Web usage like he has with his mobile provider. As a result, he’s free to use as much bandwidth as he pleases, without having to pay any surcharges.  More

If there’s one trend in the broadband industry that’s sure to be top of mind for every operator heading into 2016, it’s metered Internet service.

Love it or hate it, the trend—which Comcast has been experimenting with since 2013—shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. In fact, earlier this month Comcast rolled out a new capped data plan in Florida, where residential customers must pay an extra $30 per month for unlimited data in order to avoid overage charges. Right now, about 12 percent of Comcast’s total market uses tiered “usage-based pricing.”  This number is expected to grow as Comcast looks to drive revenue from data-hungry consumers. More

Give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done, cable television operators. A recent report from TNS shows the cable television industry, which for a long time running has been dominating in the small-business telecommunication arena, also experienced tremendous growth at the large-enterprise level over the past two years.

As TNS’s quarterly commercial market survey indicates, spending on wired voice and data from cable providers rose from 12.2 percent to 16.9 percent over the past 24 months. These figures  demonstrate a strong growth rate of over 38 percent during this time, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. More