March 30, 2026

Audience measurement and analytics with HbbTV Webinar: from panels to precision

Audience measurement has long been the foundation of the television industry. It underpins advertising value, informs commissioning decisions and enables broadcasters to understand their viewers. Yet, as viewing behaviour fragments across platforms and devices, traditional approaches are increasingly under pressure.

A recent HbbTV webinar on “Audience measurement and analytics with HbbTV”, held on 13 March 2026, moderated by Jörn Krieger, brought together industry experts to explore how HbbTV is reshaping measurement. Drawing on real-world deployments across Europe, the session highlighted how HbbTV is enabling a shift from sample-based estimation to scalable, data-driven insight.

From panels to hybrid measurement

For decades, television measurement has relied on panels. While these provide rich demographic and behavioural data, they are limited in scale. HbbTV introduces a complementary dataset, enabling connected TVs to report viewing behaviour via broadband.

As Stuart Wilkinson of Fifty5Blue (formerly Kantar Media) explained, the opportunity lies in combining these approaches:

“What the HbbTV data brings us is this full comprehensive daily account of all viewing… and what the hybrid system aims to do is bring these two assets together for a definitive view of the audience.”

This hybrid model is already being explored in multiple markets. While panel data remains essential for demographic understanding, HbbTV data adds the scale needed to improve accuracy and stability.

Spain: eliminating zero ratings and unlocking value

Spain provides one of the most mature examples of HbbTV-based measurement. Over several years, broadcasters and measurement partners have fused panel data with viewing data from millions of connected TVs.

According to Moritz Wuttke of Konodrac, one of the most important outcomes has been the elimination of “zero ratings”:

“We have been doing that together with Fifty5Blue, reducing the zero rating and improving the granularity of the data set itself.”

In traditional panel systems, smaller channels often appear to have no audience during certain periods simply because the panel sample is too small. By integrating HbbTV data, those gaps are filled, creating a more accurate and continuous view of audience behaviour.

This has direct commercial impact. As Wuttke noted, the improved data represents “real value for the channel” by enabling broadcasters to demonstrate genuine reach to advertisers.

The Spanish deployment has also been independently audited, achieving high levels of accuracy and reinforcing confidence in HbbTV as a reliable measurement source. The results are now under peer review by industry stakeholders before adopting it as the official currency.

Beyond improving audience measurement, HbbTV also opens up new possibilities for addressable advertising in linear TV. By capturing viewing data at device level, it enables broadcasters not only to understand which ads have been seen, but also to identify households that have not been exposed to a campaign. This creates the opportunity to re-target those households at a later stage, improving campaign efficiency and helping to maximise reach and frequency in a controlled and measurable way.

Austria: from measurement to monetisation

While Spain highlights measurement improvements, Austria demonstrates how HbbTV can transform monetisation.

Hossein Houssaini of Virtual Minds described how hybrid measurement has enabled a shift towards CPM-based trading and real-time optimisation:

“How do we monetize on that? … How do we use these data sets… to get a clearer view on scale to live make decisions?”

At the heart of this transformation is TV-LOAD (TV Live Optimised Advertising), a platform developed to operationalise hybrid measurement data in live broadcast environments. TV-LOAD enables broadcasters to optimise advertising delivery in near real time by combining panel data with large-scale HbbTV return path datasets.

The system works by analysing live audience data and applying segmentation models to determine which advert should be shown at any given moment. Pre-booked advertising spots can then be dynamically substituted, in some cases within less than 60 seconds, based on actual audience composition rather than forecasted delivery.

Importantly, TV-LOAD does not replace existing broadcast workflows but overlays them. This allows broadcasters to maintain their established sales processes while enhancing them with data-driven decisioning. The platform supports multiple audience segments and enables a transition from traditional GRP-based planning towards CPM-based trading, where advertisers pay for delivered impressions rather than predicted reach.

The impact has been significant. The Austrian system has reduced zero-rated inventory by up to 97 percent, restoring confidence among advertisers and increasing the value of broadcast inventory. At the same time, it aligns linear TV more closely with digital advertising models, making it more attractive to modern media buyers.

As Houssaini emphasised, success depended on collaboration:

“We need to align on one truth set… otherwise results will differ and fuel distrust even more.”

TV-LOAD therefore represents more than a technical solution. It is a blueprint for how HbbTV-enabled measurement can be directly linked to monetisation, bridging the gap between audience insight and commercial outcomes.

The UK: the shift to outcome measurement

In the UK, the focus is evolving beyond audience measurement towards outcomes.

Sameer Modha of ITV highlighted the growing disconnect between traditional TV measurement and how advertising is now judged by advertisers. As advertising budgets shift towards platforms that optimise for business outcomes, broadcasters must adapt.

“Traditional panel-centric TV audience measurement is increasingly challenged by viewing dynamics but has traditionally fought shy of large-scale device data. By collecting it for both outcome and audience measurement use cases with the right data and the right permissions, it can be absolutely transformative for our industry.”

HbbTV data is seen as a key enabler for building large-scale outcome models that can compete with digital platforms.

However, he also pointed to challenges, including cost, complexity and the need for industry-wide coordination, particularly around data permissions and governance. 

Satellite and international measurement

From a satellite perspective, HbbTV opens new possibilities for measuring audiences across wide geographic regions.

Bruno Goin of Eutelsat explained how HbbTV applications can be used to collect viewing data directly from connected TVs:

“The tracking agent runs as long as the user stays tuned to the channel… sending data to our data lake at regular intervals.”

This enables satellite operators to generate detailed analytics on audience behaviour, including viewing patterns, duration and geographic distribution. While additional modelling is required to estimate total audiences, it provides valuable visibility in markets where traditional measurement is limited.

The role of governance and trust

A recurring theme throughout the webinar was the importance of trust, governance and industry alignment.

While HbbTV provides powerful new data capabilities, it does not replace existing measurement systems overnight. Instead, it enhances them.

As discussed during the session, panel data remains essential for demographic insight, while HbbTV provides scale. The two must coexist in a hybrid model for the foreseeable future.

Privacy and consent also remain critical. Approaches vary by market, but all speakers agreed that transparency and compliance are essential for long-term success.

Although Kerstin Niederauer-Kopf of AGF Videoforschung was unable to attend, her organisation’s work in Germany reflects this broader industry trend towards hybrid measurement models.

Conclusion: towards a new measurement paradigm

HbbTV is not simply an incremental improvement in audience measurement. It represents a fundamental shift towards data-driven, scalable and actionable insight.

By combining the depth of panel data with the scale of connected TV data, broadcasters can achieve a more accurate understanding of their audiences. More importantly, they can translate that understanding into new commercial models that compete effectively in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

As Stuart Wilkinson summarised:

“We are preserving the insights of the panel and adding in the granularity that we get from census-level data.”

For developers, this evolution creates significant opportunities. Whether building measurement tools, analytics platforms or advertising solutions, HbbTV provides a powerful foundation for innovation.

The journey is already underway. The challenge now is to accelerate adoption, align the industry and unlock the full potential of hybrid measurement.

Watch the webinar in full here and access the presentations here.