As fibre rollouts mature across the UK, broadband providers are increasingly focused on customer retention rather than customer acquisition. At Connected Britain 2026, leaders from TiVo, Freely and Wildanet discussed why TV is emerging as a key differentiator and what that means for the future of the altnet market.
For much of the past decade, success in the UK broadband market has been measured by one thing: building networks. Operators raced to expand coverage, connect communities and bring full-fibre broadband to homes across the United Kingdom.
Today, the conversation is changing.
As fibre networks mature and competition intensifies, many providers are facing a new challenge: how do you create meaningful differentiation once the network is built? More importantly, how do you keep customers engaged for the long term?
These questions were at the centre of a panel discussion at Connected Britain 2026 in London, where Patrick Byrden, VP Business Development & Strategy at TiVo, joined Jonathan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer at Everyone TV, and Simon Hughes, Chief Commercial Officer at Wildanet, to discuss the growing role of television in broadband providers’ customer retention strategies.
The discussion came at a timely moment, following the announcement of Wildanet TV Powered by TiVo integrated with Freely. The new service demonstrates how broadband providers can enhance their offering with entertainment experiences that help attract, engage and retain customers.
The launch represents more than just another TV offering. It reflects a broader shift taking place across the altnet market, where providers are increasingly looking beyond connectivity and exploring new ways to strengthen customer relationships and create additional value.
The Next Phase of the Altnet Market
The UK’s altnet sector has helped transform broadband access across the country. Yet as network deployment moves into a more mature stage, operators are increasingly focusing on retention and customer experience in addition to continued growth.
As Patrick Byrden observed, the challenge changes once the construction phase is complete:
“Once you’ve dug all the holes you need to dig, you need to hold onto your customers. Price isn’t always the best way to do that, but we have seen, across the world through our partners and deployments that adjacent products help. As video is consistently the single biggest consumer of broadband traffic by a wide distance, the option to have a fully IP solution delivered through super-fast fibre is an obvious acquisition and retention tool.”
It’s a reality that many operators recognise. While speed remains important, it is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate on speed alone. Consumers rarely think about broadband in isolation. Instead, they think about the experiences it enables, from streaming and gaming to remote working and connected-home services.
Among those experiences, video stands out.
Not only is it the largest driver of broadband consumption, but it is also one of the services consumers use every day. That creates an opportunity for providers looking to extend their relationship with customers beyond the monthly broadband bill.
Television Is Becoming an IP Experience
At the same time, television viewing continues to evolve.
According to Jonathan Thompson, the UK is already well on its way towards a streaming-first future, with a growing number of households watching television entirely over the internet.
“Around one in three homes in the UK have already switched off the terrestrial aerial in the back of their TV set and watch all of their content over the internet.”
Yet while audiences have embraced streaming, they have not abandoned the need for simplicity.
Consumers still want easy access to live television. They still want familiar navigation. And they want a straightforward way to discover content without navigating countless apps and services.
As Jonathan Thompson explained:
“What we’ve tried to do with Freely is address that problem. This is where the partnership between Freely and TiVo becomes particularly relevant.”
For TiVo, the goal is not simply to add more apps. It is to create a viewing experience that brings together live television, free-to-air content, streaming services and content discovery into one place.
As Patrick Byrden explained:
“What TiVo does is bring together all the local free-to-air content and match it seamlessly with global OTT content.”
The result is a simpler entertainment experience for consumers and a more compelling service proposition for operators.
Why Fibre and TV Are Better Together
One of the strongest themes from the session was the growing connection between broadband and entertainment.
As viewing continues to move online, network performance becomes increasingly important. Whether consumers are streaming live sport in 4K HDR, accessing content across multiple rooms or watching on-demand content across different devices, the quality of the viewing experience depends heavily on broadband reliability and speed.
For Patrick Byrden this is precisely why broadband and TV are becoming increasingly intertwined.
“The blend of OTT television with high-speed full fibre is a natural match.”
For operators, the logic is straightforward. Better broadband enables better entertainment experiences. Those entertainment experiences, in turn, help increase customer engagement and create additional reasons for customers to remain loyal.
The Wildanet Opportunity
For Wildanet, the answer was not to recreate the traditional Pay-TV model.
Instead, the company wanted to offer customers a modern, flexible television experience that reflects how audiences consume content today.
The combination of Freely and TiVo allows customers to access free-to-air television alongside the streaming services they already use, without forcing them into rigid content bundles or complex packages.
As Simon Hughes explained:
“The combination of Freely and the TiVo platform gives us a next-generation TV proposition that is best-in-class in usability, great value, and puts the consumer back in control of what content they put together.”
That focus on flexibility reflects changing consumer expectations. Today’s viewers increasingly want the freedom to decide what they subscribe to, what they watch and how they access it.
For broadband providers, delivering that flexibility through a single, integrated experience can help create stronger customer relationships while opening new opportunities for growth.
Looking Beyond the Build
The Connected Britain discussion reinforced an important point: the future of broadband competition will be shaped by far more than network coverage and download speeds.
As fibre availability expands across the UK, providers will increasingly compete on the experiences they deliver and the value they create beyond connectivity.
Television is quickly becoming a key part of that conversation.
The collaboration between TiVo, Freely and Wildanet illustrates how operators can use entertainment to strengthen customer loyalty, increase engagement and create a more differentiated proposition in a crowded market.
Because once the fibre build is complete, the next challenge begins. And for many providers, the path to growth may be found not only in faster broadband, but in the experiences delivered over it.
Connected Britain wasn’t only an opportunity to discuss the future of TV and broadband. TiVo was also proud to sponsor the Wellbeing Bar, providing a space where attendees could step away from the show floor, recharge and continue the conversations shaping the future of the industry.
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