The Cooperative Network Services company website describes Jean Edhlund as being “passionate about TV,” noting her involvement in negotiating agreements, creating lineups, and developing new services. Taking a break from her busy schedule of video contract negotiations, the CNS Video Product Partner shared her perspective on the state of the video industry for 2025.
Q: Video media outlets are saying these new sports-oriented packages are going to be a big thing, what is your take?
Edhlund: It’s looking like it’s gonna be a thing, but it will be a long, complicated process for the individual operators to start to build those. It will have to be as our contracts come up for negotiation. That’s when we have to fight for the right to be able to tier these channels and to put them in a bundle. I think when we see some of these headlines about the national direct-to-consumer companies offering a sports bundle they might be playing around with some percentage stipulations in their agreements. It’s going to take some of those bigger guys getting those rights so that it trickles down to everyone else.
Q: It has been suggested that vMVPDs like YouTube TV and Hulu Live be regulated like traditional cable operators, but they’re out of the FCC’s jurisdiction because they don’t fall under the decades-old Cable TV Act. If Congress were to act and put everyone in the same boat with a new Cable TV Act how would that change the landscape?
Edhlund: It levels the playing field and will drive the prices up on their services too. I would say the only difference between us is them would be out-of-home rights, and who’s got the best features like Restart TV, cDVR, 72-Hour lookback, and Pause Live TV?
Q: When it comes to channel lineups and right pricing for your video product what is the biggest piece of advice that you can share?
Edlund: Operators need to not automatically renew every single agreement and look at those channel stats reports and see how popular it is with your subscribers. If it’s in your top 50, keep it. If you see that it is poorly viewed then get rid of it.
