March 20, 2026

Industry debates future of broadcasting at DVB World 2026

The DVB World 2026 conference on 17-18 March in Amsterdam centred on the transition from traditional broadcasting to IP-based delivery, with DVB Chair Remo Vogel (rbb/ARD), emphasising the importance of a managed migration that preserves an open ecosystem for devices and services.

In his keynote, Vogel (pictured) said with video delivery migrating to the web, DVB-I would be the “glue for a hybrid world” that connects broadcast and broadband environments. The approach aims to avoid market fragmentation while maintaining universal access and service prominence.

The importance of DVB-I as a future delivery framework was underlined by confirmation that New Zealand plans a nationwide deployment of the standard this year. In Europe, Rainer Biehn (bmt) reported that Germany’s DVB-I round table, comprising public and commercial broadcasters, regulators and industry bodies, is targeting a market introduction in September 2026.

Further rollouts are also in preparation elsewhere. Jim Higgins (RTÉ) announced a DVB-I trial in Ireland starting in June, running until November with technically experienced participants to gather operational insights.

Beyond distribution, speakers highlighted a broader transformation of media technology. Antonio Arcidiacono (EBU) described the next phase as a shift “from transport to intelligence”, driven by network-level capabilities and local AI-generated services.

In fact, AI emerged as a significant theme in discussions across the conference. The integration of AI capabilities directly into TV sets could unlock a range of new opportunities, from radically different video compression models to advanced personalisation where consumer data can be processed locally without leaving the device.

From a user perspective, Adde Granberg (SVT) argued that success will depend on viewer experience rather than technical optimisation. Referencing the rapid growth of creator-led platforms, he suggested that “one-to-many” broadcasting should evolve into “one-to-meaningful” engagement and predicted that traditional broadcasting structures may not survive in their current form.

Other speakers addressed the role of DVB-I within an increasingly platform-driven environment. Ralph Edeine (Eutelsat) said the standard will help ensure satellite services remain visible in interface-led user environments. Salvatore Martino (Kineton) argued that centralised aggregation represents the only sustainable route for local broadcasters, while also highlighting challenges around stream authenticity.

On the device and ecosystem side, Vincent Grivet (HbbTV Association) said fragmentation remains a core issue in the connected TV market, with broadcasters required to maintain multiple applications across “walled garden” platforms. He positioned HbbTV and DVB-I as complementary solutions, with HbbTV unifying devices and DVB-I harmonising networks and content sources.

While the conference focused strongly on DVB-I and the transition to IP delivery, discussions on the DVB World show floor also highlighted that HbbTV retains  critical relevance in an all-IP environment, as illustrated by platform initiatives such as Freely in the UK. Participants further noted that HbbTV is widely regarded as the natural application layer for DVB-I, with the two standards closely interlinked in practical deployments, as DVB-I relies on HbbTV capabilities in several areas.

The developer perspective was addressed in a special session on building DVB-I applications. Hyunmin Jeon, winner of the DVB-I UI competition, presented an Android-based app that applies familiar streaming user experience patterns while leveraging DVB-I metadata. She also announced that the application’s source code will be made publicly available.

Looking beyond current deployments, Thomas Stockhammer (Qualcomm) commented on 5G Broadcast, noting that audiences are ultimately seeking compelling experiences rather than underlying technologies.

The second day of the conference was again held as an “unconference” format, allowing participants to explore topics such as DVB-I implementation challenges in more depth through interactive discussions.

Across sessions, a consistent theme emerged: while the migration to IP delivery is widely accepted as inevitable, the industry is still defining how to balance technological innovation, user experience and the preservation of open, interoperable ecosystems.

Autor: Jörn Krieger
Freelance Journalist

Picture: Michiel Ton
Photographer