Vodafone TV gives VodafoneThree convergence boost, says GlobalData
September 15, 2026 13.20 Europe/London By Julian Clover


The launch of Vodafone TV will strengthen VodafoneThree’s fixed-mobile convergence strategy, but the service will need greater differentiation if it is to compete effectively in the UK pay-TV market, according to GlobalData.

Vodafone TV is due to launch in October, filling what the research company describes as a significant gap in the operator’s multiplay portfolio. Unlike the proprietary TV services offered by its major UK telecoms rivals, Vodafone TV will also be available to mobile customers without requiring them to take fixed broadband.

“Vodafone TV is a crucial step that finally plugs a pay-TV-shaped hole in VodafoneThree’s portfolio and better aligns the operator with an accelerated convergent growth trajectory,” said Natasha Rybak, Principal Analyst, Telecoms Practice at GlobalData.

The service is based on Netgem’s PLEIO platform, with Netgem also handling day-to-day operations and content provision. It will combine live television through the PSB-backed Freely with on demand content, streaming services, music, cloud gaming and Google Play apps through an Android TV device.

GlobalData believes making the service available to VodafoneThree’s large mobile customer base could give it an important point of difference and provide an opportunity to cross-sell both fixed broadband and the operator’s 5G+ SuperMobile plans. Vodafone is also promoting its 5G+ FastTrack quality-of-service feature as part of its video proposition.

However, GlobalData argues that mobile-only availability is currently the service’s principal operator-specific differentiator.

“The launch of Vodafone TV is a much-needed move, but it is late, and as currently detailed, there is no substantive operator-specific or bundled differentiator beyond mobile-only access,” said Rybak.

She said VodafoneThree will need stronger bundled incentives and benefits if television is to become an effective driver of broadband and wider multiplay adoption.

Vodafone TV will include Netflix and HBO Max Standard with Ads, Freely, more than 150 additional live channels and over 300 cloud games, alongside the ability to add services including Disney+, DAZN, Spotify and Prime.