The shift to streaming hasn’t just changed what we watch or how we watch, it’s changed everything behind the scenes, too. The premium video playbook has largely been rewritten. And while the audience now enjoys more content and control than ever before, media companies are working just as hard to keep up.

For broadcasters, the challenge can appear especially acute. Unlike streaming-first platforms, broadcasters aren’t digital natives. They are often navigating change while juggling strict regulations, legacy systems, broad audience demographics, and a different media economy. But with the right focus, they can keep pace and also lead. In this article, we explore three areas where broadcasters can take control and future-proof their business and find streaming success.

1. Make the viewer experience the priority

Audiences today have many options to choose from when watching content. While broadcasters still have an edge when it comes to trusted, high-quality content, they can’t afford to take it easy when it comes to UX. The viewing experience – especially the ad experience – can make or break a viewer’s loyalty.

As we’ve seen, advertising is becoming a conduit to access premium video. Viewers aren’t against it; they just don’t want a bad ad experience. Repetitive, irrelevant, or disruptive ads are what turn people away. For broadcasters making their journey into streaming, there are ways to address these issues. Our research at FreeWheel shows that simple steps like managing ad frequency, rotating creative more effectively, and improving relevance go a long way toward keeping viewers engaged.

Tools that smooth out the ad experience can help broadcasters strike the right balance: keeping viewers satisfied while delivering results for advertisers. But it’s not just about tech. It’s also about data. By building stronger first-party data strategies, broadcasters can better understand what drives their audiences’ choices, and how to attract new viewers.

This data can inform everything from better content recommendations to granular ad targeting. It also makes it possible to serve more relevant ads across devices, which matters more than ever as viewing continues to fragment. A data-led approach leads to a viewing experience that feels consistent, relevant, and personal, whether someone’s watching live sports on streaming or catching up on dramas on VOD. That kind of seamlessness builds deeper customer trust, and keeps viewers coming back.

2. Be ready for live, technically and strategically

Live programming has always been a stronghold for broadcasters. Sports, news, and major televised events are all familiar territory. But in the streaming world, live comes with new demands.

When audiences tune in en masse for a live event, there’s no room for error. Spikes in viewership, inventory exclusions, and creative approvals not lining up are just a few of the critical challenges. When they have an impact, it’s not just the experience that takes a hit. It’s also revenue and the value of the inventory.

This is why tech readiness is critical. Broadcasters need the right infrastructure to handle the unpredictability of live events in a streaming environment. That means being able to adjust campaign pacing in real time, ensure creatives are pre-approved and ready to go, and facilitate access to a broader range of advertisers, even those without the optimal tech stack.

Traditionally, programmatic technology has offered an answer to some of these issues. And recent advancements have made it easier to automate and scale ad delivery on live content. Even when viewership spikes unexpectedly, advertisers can still reach their intended audiences, and broadcasters can capture the full value of that demand.

This is where technology and live experience can intersect to create seamless transactions and efficient audience targeting. Broadcasters know how to do live. With the right tools in place, they can now do it better, faster, and more profitably in a streaming world.

3. Streamline access to unified inventory

The push for simpler, more efficient supply paths isn’t new, but with the evolution of the premium video landscape, it has taken on a new meaning. Advertisers want easier, direct access to quality inventory. However, that inventory is now fragmented across screens, channels, and types of transactions. So, while broadcasters have what advertisers seek – premium, brand-safe environments with scalable reach – the trick is making those connections easier in a unified manner.

A streamlined, unified access to inventory doesn’t just help advertisers. It helps broadcasters, too. It enables them to gain better visibility across all demand sources, optimize ad decisions (including pacing and frequency), and reduce friction in transactions. It ultimately unlocks more value across all screens and sales channels.

Bottom line: Focus on the viewer

As the lines between traditional TV and streaming continue to blur, broadcasters who focus on the viewer, live content and unified inventory, can position themselves to lead. Yes, they already have unique advantages, including the quality of the content, audiences at scale and engaged viewers. However, there are other areas that TV stakeholders will need to further work on to compete effectively, not least working together and facilitating access to their inventory.

This is an increasingly important issue which deserves to be looked into separately. Ultimately, broadcast (premium video) quality will continue to be the gold standard. So, it is important that advertisers and their agencies consider these points carefully when planning their media buys.