
The E. W. Scripps Company is working on a version of its Tablo digital video recorder that will play nicely with broadband Internet service providers, allowing certain companies to transition away from legacy video in favor of a hybrid broadcast-streaming option.
Company executives revealed plans for the new Tablo device during the Independent Show in Nashville this month, and has affirmed a partnership with the National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC) to eventually offer the device to members who operate small and mid-sized broadband Internet and cable TV systems across the country.
Scripps acquired Nuvyyo, the parent company of Tablo, two years ago. Last year, the company released an updated fourth-generation model of Tablo that combines broadcast TV stations with around 60 free, ad-supported content streams, all without a subscription.
Scripps is now working on a version of Tablo that can support streaming-specific pay TV packages, including a forthcoming one announced by NCTC called Broadband TV, which will offer a skinny package of around 30 general entertainment and lifestyle channels delivered over the Internet.
That version of the Tablo DVR could launch as early as 2025, Scripps executives said at the Independent Show, and would be distributed by broadband and cable TV operators to their customers. NCTC members will almost certainly be among the first group of Internet providers and cable TV operators to offer the new Tablo DVR to their customers.
Less clear is whether Scripps will update existing fourth-generation Tablos to support skinny pay TV packages delivered over the Internet. The current model retails for around $100 at Best Buy, Amazon and through Tablo’s own website. The website Light Reading was the first to reveal Scripps’ intentions to offer a Tablo device to broadband providers.
Telecommunications providers have adopted numerous strategies over the past few years that help them transition customers away from expensive traditional cable TV packages toward cheaper streaming-only options.
Two years ago, the NCTC struck a deal with MyBundle to help integrate the streaming marketplace and education tool into the websites of its 150-plus member telecoms. In an interview with this reporter, MyBundle CEO Jason Cohen said last year he expects hundreds of other cable operators to shut down their legacy TV services over the coming years as they continue to focus on expanding their fiber-based Internet offerings, which generate better financial returns.
Convincing broadband customers to drop pay TV products in favor of broadcast and streaming-based options doesn’t just make financial sense — it could also ease some of the friction associated with receiving certain TV channels and programming.
Over the past few years, disputes involving cable and satellite companies and broadcasters have increased as the latter seeks additional fees for the continued carriage of certain channels on pay TV platforms. Federal regulations allow broadcasters to seek compensation for the carriage of their channels on cable and satellite platforms, though negotiations over fees are supposed to be done in good faith.
When disputes happen, cable and satellite companies generally suggest customers use an antenna to receive missing broadcast channels. Tablo DVRs utilize those same conventional TV antennas to pull in a user’s ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC network affiliates, along with other channels that may be available in a broadcast area.
The arrangement comes at a time when broadcasters are increasingly pursuing local sports rights amid the collapse of the regional sports network model, which has seen live games from some basketball, baseball and hockey teams move to over-the-air television in markets like Phoenix, Las Vegas and Cincinnati.
That said, one limitation of the Tablo DVR is that it only supports the current broadcast standard, ATSC 1.0. The company is working on a new model that supports ATSC 3.0, or “NextGen TV,” signals, but the product has been delayed while the company works through various requirements for supporting the standard, including support for audio codecs and encrypted signals.
Time is of the essence in that regard: Behind the scenes, a number of broadcasters have been considering ways to eventually shut down their ATSC 1.0 signals and use that broadcast spectrum for other purposes, including commercial datacasting, while transitioning over to ATSC 3.0 signals on a full-time basis. That won’t happen for at least another two years, because the FCC requires broadcasters with an ATSC 3.0 signal to maintain an ATSC 1.0 simulcast through at least 2027, but there is currently no mandate that broadcasters maintain their ATSC 1.0 signals beyond 2027.