It's Time for Telco and Media to Officially Break Up...

Infrastructure Isn’t Enough—Engagement Is the New Power

For decades, media and telecom have been joined at the hip, a relationship forged in the days of broadcast television, solidified by cable, and extended into the internet age. Telcos provided the pipes, media filled them with content, and consumers had little choice but to engage through the limited channels available.

That model is done.

Today, media’s most valuable partners aren’t those who own the infrastructure—they’re the ones who own the engagement. The real players shaping the future of media aren’t telcos; they’re gaming platforms, sports leagues, and retail brands. If you’re still clinging to the old telco-media model, you’re wasting time, money, and effort that should be pouring into engagement-driven work.

The Decline of the Telco-Media Partnership

It’s not that telcos are disappearing, but their strategic role in media is over. The once-powerful media-distribution pipeline they controlled has been eroded by technology shifts and consumer behavior. Consider these trends:

1. Telcos …