We all recognize that traditional service providers—like Virgin Media—feel threatened by over-the-top (OTT) players. The question is: how can they respond effectively? Amdocs offers tools that enable a collaborative, partnership-driven approach rather than a confrontational one.
Within its customer relationship management (CRM) platform, Amdocs incorporates insights that many others overlook. The system doesn’t simply classify subscribers as individuals, households, or businesses; it models how those categories can overlap and interact, allowing providers to address needs at the right level.
Consider the cable TV industry, which typically treats subscriptions on a household basis. That approach limits the visibility a provider has into individual viewers and their preferences. OTT services like Netflix, by contrast, cater directly to individual tastes, and that personalization has driven many consumers to cancel traditional cable subscriptions. Why pay for a service that isn’t tailored to you?
One effective response is to create flexible, innovative packages and partnership offers that let consumers manage their subscriptions from a single place while supporting hierarchical controls for individual privileges or parental restrictions. This gives households the personalization users expect without forcing them to abandon bundled services.
At its InTouch Business Forum in San Diego, Amdocs demonstrated a “Connected Lifestyle” demo that highlights how its CRM can enable cooperation between service providers and OTT platforms. The demo illustrated that OTT players don’t have to be adversaries; with the right systems in place, providers can deliver integrated, multi-play experiences that benefit all parties.
For example, imagine Virgin Media offering internet, TV, and mobile services in partnership with Netflix. New commercial models become possible, such as “Stream free—data charges apply” or “Stream for £3.99—no data charge.” Under these models, Virgin Media monetizes the network usage generated by Netflix, Netflix gains broader reach, and customers enjoy a single location to manage subscriptions and access OTT content.
Beyond that, think about other partnership possibilities that improve convenience for end users and create new revenue streams for providers. Virgin Media could offer an “add-on” to its bundles that grants unlimited access to a third-party Wi‑Fi hotspot network—call it WiSpots. Crucially, that add-on could be offered flexibly: one person could be added for £1.99/month or the whole family for £5.99/month. Such granular pricing lets customers pay only for what they use.
Another practical example addresses the “why pay for something that isn’t catered to you” problem for cable TV. Most people carry smartphones; what if a mobile app acted as a personal remote and authentication token? A user could switch to ESPN on their phone and subscribe only themselves to that channel, with access across devices—phone, tablet, or a friend’s TV. Alternatively, they could opt to subscribe for the whole family. This device-level identity and entitlement model supports personalized access without sacrificing the benefits of a bundled service.
Although many partnership agreements remain to be finalized, Amdocs already supplies the CRM capabilities required to make these scenarios work. By enabling flexible entitlements, identity-aware subscriptions, and partner monetization, the platform positions service providers to compete less on walled gardens and more on integrated customer experiences.
The first providers to adopt these models stand to gain a meaningful differentiator: improved customer retention, new revenue sources from partner deals, and the ability to offer genuinely personalized services without ceding ground to OTT competitors. The path forward is collaboration, smart product design, and systems that handle complexity while keeping customer management simple.
What do you think of Amdocs’ CRM approach and its potential impact for service providers?