Device roadmap pressure
Memory pricing volatility is forcing operators to re-cost device roadmaps mid-cycle. Leading operators use software optimisation to extend device lifespan and control capex - without sacrificing the subscriber experience.
COUNTDOWN TO IBC 2026
MARKET CHALLENGES SHAPING IBC 2026
Pay TV operators and communications service providers face pressure on every front. Streaming services, smart TV platforms, and app-based alternatives compete for the same living room - and operators who don't own the primary experience risk being reduced to a connectivity pipe while others control the subscriber relationship.
Maintaining subscriber satisfaction, growing ARPU, and reducing churn all depend on delivering elevated experiences. At the same time, operators must balance the cost of network upgrades and device fleet management against a backdrop of component pricing volatility and an increasingly complex regulatory environment.
The battle for the living room
Smart TV platforms want HDMI0. Streamers are absorbing advertising revenue. Operators who cede the primary experience become a connectivity pipe - paying to be hosted on someone else's platform while losing the direct subscriber relationship.
EU CRA compliance
The first CRA deadline falls on 11 September 2026 - during IBC week. Full compliance is required by December 2027. Penalties reach 15M euro or 2.5% of global turnover. This is a live engineering challenge, not a legal one.
HOW WE HELP
Maintenance and optimisation
Extend the commercial life of deployed devices through targeted software optimisation - reducing capex pressure and buying time for strategic refresh decisions.
Platform enablement
Full-stack engineering across Android TV and custom Linux platforms, including RDK - from platform architecture and system integration through to long-term in-life support.
App enablement
OTT app integration and certification, plus AndApps - Consult Red's platform for deploying Android applications within Linux and RDK environments.
AI enablement
Edge AI for concrete service provider use cases - content personalisation, voice UI, and conversational interfaces built on the operator's own platform and data.
Experience enablement
UX design and optimisation on existing platforms - including presence detection, adaptive and switchable interfaces, and accessibility-first design for ageing-in-place scenarios.
Device cybersecurity
Security-by-design implementation for EU CRA compliance - including SBOM analysis, vulnerability management, and CVE monitoring, with the first reporting deadline falling in Sept. 2026.
ABOUT CONSULT RED
Consult Red is a chip-to-cloud technology consultancy specialising in connected devices and media platforms. Employee-owned and engineering-led, we work with the world's leading operators and device manufacturers across the full product lifecycle - from architecture and development through to long-term in-life support. Our clients include Sky, DirecTV, Liberty Global, Comcast, Polsat, Astro and Fetch TV.
100M+
homes with our software solutions deployed
20+
years of chip-to-cloud engineering experience
150
professionals across UK, Poland and USA