Blog | MVPDs & Global Operators
October 31, 2024

Managed Terrestrial Distribution gets more channels, more HD, and more value to customers and operators alike

Phil Voelker

It’s been three years since MVPDs accommodated the big 5G spectrum reallocation, and three years since we started helping companies to answer the question, “what would it look like to move our delivery model from orbit and down to earth?” Since then, our Managed Terrestrial Distribution (MTD) model has continued to grow – not just in population, but in its scope of offerings.  

We’ve recently rolled out a significant expansion to our channel lineup, giving services the opportunity to add even more value and interest to their subscribers: 

  • Lots of premium destinations across genres, including top-tier sports channels, A-list studio channels for movies and original entertainment,  

  • More choices for kids and family, shopping, and faith-based programming 

  • More HD content than ever before – three times the number of HD channels versus satellite-only 

Explore our channel lineup 

A better way to serve the content customers want 

For existing MTD customers, this represents not just a wider offering, but also an opportune time to gain more operational efficiency by moving more services to their MTD workflow. CTS is an active partner, helping providers all over the country with a seamless migration and continuous support. 

For businesses exploring the move from satellite services towards eventually a fully IP-based delivery model, there’s a lot more to share, as MTD continues its host of benefits – from reduced operational complexity to increased service offerings for customers.

Customers share their MTD experience 

Managed Terrestrial Distribution was really envisioned as a way for cable providers to continue evolving along with their customers. We all certainly know what it’s like on the customer end: our screens are better, our expectations are higher, and as 4K and 8K become more and more prevalent, HD programming is almost table stakes at this point. The idea here on the Comcast Technology Solutions side was to turn the 5G spectrum situation into a real opportunity for providers to reimagine themselves in a way that wouldn’t disrupt daily operations.  

One of the businesses that made the move to MTD was Sister Lakes Cable, a phone, TV, and internet provider in the Michigan area. Tom Wilson (Operations Manager), let us know how things have gone so far: 

The change-over process was straightforward and easy due to your staff. The instructions were clear and straightforward. We have greatly reduced the equipment in our headend, lowered power consumption in two ways: cooling cost, and hardware consumption. The biggest benefits as a small operator are the reduced labor in the headend, and the simplicity of the headend.

Tom Wilson , Operations Manager , Sister Lakes Cable

Curious about more ways that Managed Channel Origination can help keep MVPDs competitive into the 2030’s and beyond? There’s plenty more to learn here. 

Author Information