Vodafone and Three are reportedly considering launching a Pay-TV service as part of a wider bundle with fixed broadband, phone, and mobile plans. This initiative follows their recent £15 billion merger, which was approved by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last year, forming the UK’s largest mobile network with 27 million subscribers.
The reported Pay-TV service aims to leverage the merged entity’s scale to capture a larger subscriber base, though discussions on specifics are ongoing. Such an offering could encompass traditional broadcast TV and popular streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
In making this move, Vodafone and Three are likely looking to compete with established UK players like Virgin Media O2 and BT (EE), who already offer similar bundled services. However, they face challenges as market preferences shift from conventional TV to streaming platforms.
Interestingly, Vodafone’s existing experience with converged offers in Germany and the Netherlands could serve them well. In those regions, bundled TV services have been rolled out with moderate success. Nonetheless, in the UK, their current TV offering is limited to providing Apple TV boxes.
The competitive nature of the Pay-TV sector means success isn’t guaranteed. Besides, examples like BT’s reduction in Pay-TV focus underscore the market trend towards standalone subscription services.
