NCTC unveils 'Broadband TV,' aims to accelerate mobile program

A new, streaming-based skinny pay-TV package and enhancements aimed at helping small and midsized operators quickly jump into the mobile game are among the big topics on tap for next week's The Independent Show in Nashville.

There, the National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC), an organization that cuts content and tech deals for hundreds of small and midsized operators, will start to take the wraps off of "Broadband TV." That's the generic name of a new, Internet-delivered video package comprised of more than 30 entertainment channels that will be targeted to broadband-only customers.

NCTC's base of more than 700 cable operator members will have access to the new offering, which will be marketed under the brands of the operators themselves.

Members will be responsible for pricing. However, based on the general cost of the channels in the package (NCTC has yet to reveal the lineup) and implied platform costs, co-op members should be able to sell it at $20 or less per month, NCTC CEO Lou Borrelli told Light Reading.

From a pricing perspective, that could place the NCTC's new package in the same type of category as Now TV, a slimmed-down pay-TV package from Comcast that costs $20 per month and features a blend of traditional cable channels and free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels. Philo, a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD), also offers an entertainment-focused package that currently starts at $28 per month.

Related:NCTC gets moving on mobile packages, skinny bundles

The entertainment-focused Broadband TV package is emerging as cable operators continue to grapple with pay-TV cord-cutting thanks in part to surging costs for sports programming, including fees for regional sports networks, and retransmission consent for local broadcast TV networks. That scenario has caused many tier 2 and tier 3 operators to deprioritize pay-TV or get out of the pay-TV business altogether. The new package could help keep NCTC members in the video game, even among broadband subscribers who no longer take a traditional cable pay-TV package.

Providing options

The objective is to provide an option to customers who are seeking a sizable assortment of general entertainment programming at a price point they can afford and on platforms they are familiar with, explained Borrelli, the cable industry vet who took the helm of the organization just over three years ago.

Borrelli pointed out that more video than ever is being delivered on cable networks today, but he acknowledged that the construct of the market has changed as streaming and app-based video service distribution gain in popularity and media giants and other owners push direct-to-consumer (DTC) models.

Related:TVS Cable first to launch mobile through NCTC pacts with AT&T and Reach

"It's not like video is going away," Borrelli said. "It's being repackaged and compartmentalized."

NCTC plans to launch Broadband TV later this year and expects to have trials underway within the next 30 days. "We have a lot of interest" in the new package,  Borrelli said.

He expects some of the initial tests and deployments to run on TiVo's platform. TiVo, a long-time NCTC partner, has also created a streaming option of its own for cable operators called TiVo Broadband.

Borrelli stressed that the new streaming package will also support just about any other platform. No others were identified by name, but Xumo, the Comcast-Charter streaming joint venture, has been trying to expand into the tier 2/3 cable arena.

Borrelli said it's possible that more video package options could become available to NCTC members down the road. "It's not a perfect ecosystem," he said of pay-TV. "But what I think this does is it provides a value-priced choice. And I assume that this will lead to other price choices."

Accelerating mobile adoption

NCTC, which will use The Independent Show to celebrate its 40th anniversary, also plans to discuss how it's trying to make it easier for members to launch mobile offerings via the co-op's MVNO/MVNE agreements with AT&T and Reach.

Related:ACA Connects asks FCC to pump the brakes on plan to ban 'bulk billing' in MDUs

Borrelli said more info will be supplied at the show, but the general idea is to aid with the operational and economic pieces of the puzzle and accelerate deployments by helping operators push past the "waiting game."

"We've got several launched and many more waiting [to launch mobile]. The waiting game is really what we're trying to get over," he said. "It's become a much easier decision and a much lighter lift based on the work we've done over the last few weeks."

A handful of NCTC members have launched or plan to launch mobile services through the NCTC's agreements, including TVS Cable, Breezeline, Shurz Communications and Allo Communications.

"We have a significant number that are in the queue," Borrelli said. "Our objective is to launch a significant number of members between now and the end of the year … There's a need move from 'Is 'this a good idea?' to 'Why aren't you doing it?'"

Borrelli said The Independent Show is expected to draw more than 1,000 attendees, noting that the show floor and sponsorships have sold out.

"It's the last great cable show," he said. "We have both technology and programming together. Nobody does that anymore."

BEAD, Title II and bulk billing

Another key item on the show's agenda: politics and regulations.

Led by ACA Connects, this year's event will also provide updates on some of the top regulatory issues affecting independent cable operators, including the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.

Last month, ACA Connects released the latest version of its BEAD program framework, which based estimates on the freshest round of National Broadband Map data. The new framework estimates that 5.4 million unserved and underserved locations will be eligible for BEAD program funding and that the program should be able to provide "robust broadband service" to all of those locations, even when fiber is being used to reach between 70% to 90% of all eligible locations.

ACA Connects leaders and other panelists will also explore the implications of the FCC's proposal to ban bulk billing and discuss what to expect from the FCC's move to reinstate Title II network neutrality rules.

"ACA Connects' top priority is to ensure attendees leave Nashville feeling better equipped to navigate the policymaking and regulatory world," ACA Connects President and CEO Grant Spellmeyer said in a statement.