Tag: HbbTV-TA

dfgfdgfd

The evolution of HbbTV through the awards – Part 3: Building a commercial and technology ecosystem

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

Since the inaugural HbbTV Awards in Rome in 2017, the awards have reflected the changing ways broadcasters, platform operators and technology providers use HbbTV to create new services and experiences for viewers.

The evolution of the award categories mirrors the evolution of HbbTV itself. Early awards recognised broadcast enhancement, multiscreen services and content discovery, while more recent categories reflect the growing importance of advertising, accessibility, operator applications and audience measurement. Together, the winners show how HbbTV has developed from enhancing linear television into a platform supporting comprehensive streaming services.

In this three-part series, we look back at some of the notable winners and use cases from across the history of the HbbTV Awards, exploring what they reveal about the evolution of hybrid television.

Entries for the 2026 HbbTV Awards are now open. If you have developed an innovative HbbTV product, service or application, we encourage you to submit an entry via the HbbTV Awards 2026 entry form.

Making television advertising interactive

Advertising has been one of the most consistent use cases throughout the history of the HbbTV Awards. The attraction is straightforward: HbbTV can combine the reach and impact of broadcast television advertising with the connectivity and interactivity associated with digital media.

One of the clearest early demonstrations came from Switzerland’s Admeira, which won an award in 2018 with its OK Button: Dialogue Case. Rather than television advertising being something viewers simply watched, HbbTV provided a mechanism through which they could respond and engage. The judges described it as “an important and powerful solution to drive engagement in advertising”. A key feature was the ability for the application to auto fill viewers address data, avoiding the task of filling out a form using a remote control.

2018: Admeira OK Button: Dialogue Case.

Commercial innovation was already evident at the inaugural awards in 2017, when Czech advertising technology company R2B2, together with Hybrid Company, won with an automated yield management solution operating across eight Czech television channels. The judges considered the solution “very innovative” and highlighted its interesting business model.

These examples illustrate two important characteristics that have continued through subsequent HbbTV advertising developments. The broadband connection provides a return path through which the viewer can interact, while the application environment creates opportunities to manage and monetise television advertising in ways that go beyond a conventional broadcast spot.

The result is the ability to retain television’s mass reach while introducing some of the flexibility traditionally associated with digital advertising.

Bringing digital targeting to linear television

Perhaps the most important commercial opportunity has been the use of HbbTV to bring addressability and targeting to linear television.

A number of award winners have demonstrated different elements of this. In 2021, Nowtilus was recognised for Serverside.ai Full-Break DAS@HbbTV, showing how dynamic advertising could be applied across complete advertising breaks. In 2022, TV Nova’s MAX REACH demonstrated another approach to extending the capabilities and reach of television advertising.

Mediaset España provides a particularly good illustration of how these technologies have developed. In 2023, Mediaset España won with Server-Side Targeted Advertising for Linear TV, combining the scale of live broadcasting with targeted digital advertising. The judges described the approach as combining “the power of live broadcasting to massive audiences with the efficiency of digital targeted advertising.”

Mediaset España returned as a winner in 2024 with Contextual Advertising for Linear Live TV. This took targeting in another direction, using AI to support the selection of advertising based on the context of the content. The judges highlighted the potential for more targeted and engaging advertising and improved return on investment.

The common thread is not a particular implementation technique, but the ability to make linear television inventory more intelligent. HbbTV provides a bridge between the broadcast schedule and broadband-delivered advertising technologies, allowing broadcasters to introduce capabilities such as dynamic ad substitution, targeting and contextual decisioning while retaining the scale of linear television.

This is an important part of HbbTV’s commercial proposition: applying digital advertising techniques to the television environment without giving up the strengths that make broadcast advertising valuable in the first place.

Creating new advertising experiences

HbbTV also creates opportunities that go beyond making conventional television advertising more targeted. Its application environment can be used to develop advertising experiences that combine brands, interactivity and the programme itself.

A particularly good example was recognised in 2025, when TVekstra won with its Pınar Protein Milk – Bringing the Energy of Volleyball Home campaign. Rather than simply replacing a conventional television spot, the campaign used advertising banners and a persistent L-shaped banner displaying live Volleyball Nations League match information.

The advertising therefore became part of the wider viewing experience. The live scores gave viewers useful information connected with the content they were watching while maintaining the presence of the brand. Over a single month, the campaign generated more than 500,000 impressions, with the judges highlighting the innovative combination of a brand and live sports scores to increase engagement.

2025: TVekstra Pınar Protein Milk – Bringing the Energy of Volleyball Home 

This points towards a broader opportunity for HbbTV advertising. The television screen can support formats that complement the programme, respond to its context or invite the viewer to interact, rather than being restricted to replicating the traditional advertising break.

It also helps explain the emphasis of the 2026 Outstanding HbbTV Advertising Campaign category. As the underlying advertising technology matures, innovation can increasingly be judged by what broadcasters, sales houses, agencies and brands actually do with it.

The evolution of HbbTV advertising is therefore not simply a story of increasingly sophisticated ad delivery. It is also about creating forms of television advertising that take advantage of the hybrid capabilities of the television itself.

The growing importance of audience measurement

Advertising naturally leads to another important part of a mature television advertising ecosystem: measurement.

As HbbTV is used for increasingly sophisticated advertising, broadcasters and advertisers need to understand who is being reached and how services and campaigns are performing. The broadband connection and application environment provide opportunities to collect data from connected television sets, creating new approaches to television audience measurement and analytics.

The significance of this area is reflected in the introduction of Excellence in HbbTV Audience Measurement & Analytics as a new category for the 2026 HbbTV Awards.

It is notable that audience measurement receives dedicated recognition at this point in the history of the awards. The earlier winners tell a story about creating interactive advertising, deploying addressable advertising technology and delivering increasingly targeted and creative campaigns. Measurement is an essential part of turning those capabilities into a sustainable commercial proposition.

It also extends beyond advertising. Understanding how audiences use HbbTV services can help broadcasters and platform operators improve applications, understand content consumption and make better decisions about the services they provide.

The arrival of the new category therefore represents another indication of the maturity of the HbbTV ecosystem. Innovation is no longer only about what can be displayed or delivered to the television; it is increasingly about understanding the resulting audience behaviour and impact.

The technology behind the experience

Many of the most visible HbbTV Award winners have been applications and services that viewers can experience directly. Behind those applications, however, is a substantial ecosystem of development, testing, conformance and delivery technology.

The awards have regularly recognised this less visible but essential part of HbbTV.

In 2019, Nomor Research was recognised for its HbbTV Conformance Software. In 2022, Kineton’s KineMediaCert demonstrated another approach to conformance, using a cloud-based model designed to make HbbTV certification easier for consumer electronics manufacturers and operators.

The following year, Bayerische Medien Technik (bmt) was recognised on behalf of the German DVB-I Pilot. The judges described the work as “essential”, highlighting its role in bringing together broadcast and streaming.

In 2024, the Addressable TV Initiative (ATVI) was recognised for its certification programme for HbbTV-TA receivers. The judges highlighted the importance of providing a standardised approach to compliance, helping accelerate market adoption and support a consistent user experience.

BCi Digital’s Ocelot addressable advertising suite was another winner in 2025. Incorporating the Opportune schedule-aware ad decisioning service and Otter HbbTV application, the suite demonstrated how the supporting technology around HbbTV advertising has developed into comprehensive platforms designed for large-scale deployment.

These winners may be less immediately visible to television viewers than a new application or interactive advertising campaign, but they represent an essential part of the HbbTV story. As services become more sophisticated and deployments grow, developers, broadcasters, manufacturers and platform operators need reliable tools and technologies to build, test and deliver them.

Eight years of evolution

Across this three-part series, the HbbTV Awards have provided a window into the evolution of hybrid television.

The early winners showed how broadband connectivity and applications could add interactivity and new features around the broadcast television experience. Content discovery, streaming portals and operator applications subsequently demonstrated how HbbTV could play a much larger role in helping viewers find and navigate television services.

The advertising winners reveal a parallel commercial evolution. Interactive advertising developed into scalable addressable advertising, increasingly sophisticated targeting and, ultimately, creative campaigns that combine brands with the content being watched. The introduction of audience measurement and analytics as an award category adds another important piece to that ecosystem.

Behind all of this, the tools and technologies recognised by the awards demonstrate the growing maturity of HbbTV as a platform for deploying services at scale.

The award categories will continue to evolve, just as they have since 2017. New technologies, business models and viewer expectations will create new uses for HbbTV, while capabilities that were once innovative will become established parts of everyday television services.

That is perhaps what makes the history of the HbbTV Awards particularly revealing. The winners do more than recognise individual achievements. Taken together, they provide a record of how HbbTV has grown from enhancing broadcast television into a mature platform connecting broadcast and broadband, supporting new viewing experiences and enabling an increasingly sophisticated commercial television ecosystem.

Become part of the story

The HbbTV Awards continue to recognise the products, services and applications shaping the future of hybrid television. If your organisation has developed an innovative HbbTV solution, now is the opportunity to join the growing list of award-winning services featured throughout this series.

Entries for the HbbTV Awards 2026 are now open. Find out more about the categories and submit your entry through the HbbTV Awards 2026 entry form.

The HbbTV Awards 2026 winners will be announced during the HbbTV Symposium and Awards in Barcelona on 18 November 2026.

Addressable advertising with HbbTV: moving from experiments to scale

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

This article is part of a series based on presentations from the HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2025, bringing together insights from across the industry on the future of broadcast services and connected television. Covering topics from broadband-only delivery and addressable advertising to interoperability and evolving standards, the series captures key discussions and expert perspectives shaping the next phase of HbbTV and the wider TV ecosystem.

One of the most commercially focused discussions at the HbbTV Symposium 2025 examined the current state and future potential of addressable advertising. Moderated by journalist Jörn Krieger, the roundtable brought together Nicole Agudo Berbel, Managing Director of Seven.One Media and Chief Distribution Officer of Seven.One Entertainment Group; Atınç Öğüt, Deputy General Manager, Consumer Electronics Product Management at Vestel; Erdem Tolon, Deputy General Manager of Kantar Media Turkey; Faruk Emre Kocuk, Sales Director at Theadx; and Tuna Gürel, Chief Revenue Officer at TVekstra. Together they explored how HbbTV-based advertising is evolving and what is needed to unlock its full potential.

While the technical foundations for addressable advertising have existed for many years, the discussion highlighted a market that is now moving from experimentation towards greater scale and maturity.

Nicole Agudo Berbel described how Seven.One Media has steadily expanded its addressable advertising portfolio in Germany. What began with familiar formats such as switch-in advertising and overlay banners has evolved into a broader strategy encompassing linear television, streaming and connected TV inventory. The company now bundles advertising opportunities across all large-screen environments, creating what it describes as a unified “big screen” proposition for advertisers.

This approach reflects a broader trend across the industry. Advertisers increasingly want to buy audiences rather than platforms, and they expect television inventory to be available through the same data-driven workflows used elsewhere in digital advertising.

She also highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in advertising. Seven.One Media has begun deploying AI-generated advertising creatives and virtual product placements, demonstrating how new technologies can create additional value from existing content and advertising opportunities.

From the device manufacturer perspective, Atınç Öğüt explained how Vestel views addressable advertising as an increasingly important part of the connected TV ecosystem. As one of Europe’s largest television manufacturers, Vestel supports HbbTV across a wide range of markets and sees initiatives such as HbbTV-TA and SAT.tv Connect as important steps towards creating sustainable revenue models beyond device sales.

For manufacturers, the long-term goal is to develop recurring revenue streams through connected services and advertising, making monetisation an increasingly important consideration in product strategy.

The discussion repeatedly returned to one critical ingredient: data.

Erdem Tolon explained how audience measurement is evolving as broadcasters and advertisers seek richer insights into viewer behaviour. Traditional panel-based measurement remains essential, but HbbTV data offers the opportunity to enhance audience measurement through larger-scale census-style data sets.

Rather than replacing panels, Tolon argued that the future lies in hybrid measurement systems that combine panel data with return-path data from connected devices. This approach can improve reach measurement, provide greater granularity and help address challenges such as measuring smaller thematic channels that may be underrepresented in traditional panels.

Beyond reach, HbbTV data also creates opportunities to measure audience engagement and campaign effectiveness. Tolon outlined how connected TV can help advertisers understand not only whether viewers were exposed to an advertisement, but also whether the campaign influenced awareness, consideration and purchase intent.

The importance of measurement and transparency was echoed by other panellists. Trust remains fundamental to advertising markets, and independent verification of audience data continues to play a critical role in attracting advertising investment.

Faruk Emre Kocuk highlighted the progress being made in the Turkish market, where awareness of HbbTV advertising has grown rapidly in recent years. Advertising investment in connected TV has increased significantly, although he acknowledged that substantial education is still required among agencies and advertisers to fully communicate the benefits of addressable television advertising.

Tuna Gürel expanded on this point, noting that one of the biggest challenges remains competition for advertising budgets. Connected TV must compete not only with traditional television advertising but also with digital giants such as YouTube and other online platforms.

To succeed, HbbTV advertising needs to demonstrate its unique advantages. These include premium television environments, large-screen viewing, advanced targeting capabilities and increasingly sophisticated measurement tools. At the same time, the industry must make buying and planning addressable television campaigns as straightforward as other digital media channels.

Several participants highlighted the importance of standardisation in achieving this goal. The HbbTV Targeted Advertising specification (HbbTV-TA) and initiatives such as the Addressable TV Initiative (ATVI) are helping to create consistent approaches across markets, devices and broadcasters. This reduces complexity for advertisers and supports greater scalability.

The discussion concluded with a clear message. The industry has already proven that addressable advertising works. The next challenge is scale.

Achieving that scale will require continued collaboration between broadcasters, manufacturers, technology providers, measurement companies and advertisers. It will also require common standards, trusted measurement and simpler buying processes.

The technology is largely in place. The focus now is on making addressable advertising a mainstream component of television advertising markets rather than a specialist add-on. For HbbTV, that transition represents one of the most significant commercial opportunities in its history.

Watch the presentation and explore further

You can watch the full roundtable from the HbbTV Symposium 2025 here: Watch the Video

Next in the series

Our coverage of the HbbTV Symposium 2025 continues with a collection of quick-fire presentations from industry experts. From combating misinformation and improving accessibility to advancing interoperability and tracking global HbbTV adoption, these short presentations offer a glimpse into some of the most innovative developments across the connected TV landscape.

Unifying the fragmented CTV opportunity with HbbTV

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

Connected TV World Summit 2026, London

At the Connected TV World Summit 2026 in London, Vincent Grivet, Chair of the HbbTV Association, presented a clear message to the industry: while connected TV (CTV) offers enormous opportunities for broadcasters and advertisers, fragmentation across platforms, operating systems and business models threatens to limit its potential benefits for broadcasters. His presentation, titled “Unifying the fragmented CTV opportunity with HbbTV”, explored how open standards, and HbbTV in particular, can help the industry overcome these challenges and unlock the full value of addressable advertising on television.

A major advertising opportunity in CTV

Grivet began by outlining the scale of the emerging CTV advertising market in Europe. According to the figures presented, CTV advertising already represents around €5.3 billion, of which 47% is captured by broadcasters through their BVOD inventories, compared with approximately €26.3 billion in traditional linear television advertising. 

This means that while broadcast television remains a dominant advertising medium, the introduction of addressability into the linear environment represents a major growth opportunity for broadcasters, as addressable advertising sells at a premium against mass broadcast advertising. By combining the scale of broadcast reach with the targeting capabilities of digital advertising, broadcasters can increase the value of their inventory and compete more effectively with global streaming platforms.

The fragmentation challenge

Despite this opportunity, Grivet argued that the CTV ecosystem remains highly fragmented. Broadcasters must typically interact with 10 to 15 different technical environments, each associated with different TV operating systems, app ecosystems and commercial frameworks.

This fragmentation creates several challenges. First, it increases technical complexity and development costs, as broadcasters must build and maintain applications across multiple environments. Second, it reduces the visibility and prominence of broadcaster services within device ecosystems where they compete with many other applications. Finally, it raises concerns around data ownership, advertising control and revenue sharing, as platform operators increasingly set the rules of engagement within their vertical ecosystems.

According to Grivet, this situation risks shifting control away from broadcasters and towards platform operators.

HbbTV as a unifying technology

Grivet positioned HbbTV as a practical solution to these challenges. Developed over more than 15 years by a broad industry consortium, the HbbTV standard enables broadcasters to deliver advanced interactive services through a combination of broadcast and broadband connectivity.

Today the technology operates at significant scale, with more than 100 million reachable homes across Europe and a growing footprint in MENA markets exceeding 30 million households.

Crucially, HbbTV provides a single application environment that works across multiple TV brands and platforms, reducing the need for broadcasters to manage numerous platform-specific implementations. By offering an open and standardised framework, it enables broadcasters to deploy services that are both IP-enabled and independent of proprietary ecosystems.

Enabling addressable advertising on broadcast TV

A central focus of the presentation was HbbTV’s role in enabling addressable advertising within traditional broadcast environments. Since its early versions, the HbbTV specification has supported addressable advertising formats such as overlays and interactive ad experiences or ad replacement (with in most cases replacement of full ad breaks).

These capabilities are already used in multiple European markets, allowing broadcasters to easily integrate with established advertising technologies such as VAST, SCTE signalling and major ad servers while retaining control over their inventory and data.

An important step-up  was achieved with the introduction of  HbbTV-TA (Targeted/Addressable Advertising), an advanced specification that enables frame-accurate dynamic ad substitution. This technology allows individual advertisements to be replaced within a broadcast stream rather than replacing entire ad breaks.

By enabling ad-by-ad replacement, HbbTV-TA increases the number of billable advertising impressions and improves monetisation opportunities for broadcasters while preserving the viewing experience.

Delivering what advertisers expect

Grivet also emphasised that HbbTV-based advertising fully meets the expectations advertisers now associate with digital and streaming environments as they have been assessed by a recent study from Comcast Advertising across 5 European countries. These include measurable reach, advanced targeting capabilities, real-time analytics and programmatic buying models.

By combining these features with the scale and trust associated with broadcast television, HbbTV creates a powerful hybrid model that bridges the gap between traditional TV and digital advertising ecosystems and opens significant new monetization opportunities.

An open path forward for broadcasters

Grivet concluded by reiterating that while CTV fragmentation and platform gatekeepers present significant challenges for broadcasters, open standards offer a path forward. Through HbbTV, broadcasters can maintain their strategic and business autonomy while still delivering the advanced services and advertising capabilities expected in modern CTV environments.

In doing so, HbbTV helps unify the fragmented connected TV landscape, enabling broadcasters, advertisers and technology providers to fully harness the potential of addressable advertising across Europe and beyond.

A copy of Vincent’s presentation can be downloaded here.

What advertisers want from streaming TV and how HbbTV delivers

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

Advertisers across Europe are demanding high-quality ad experiences, scalable reach, interactivity, data-driven targeting and measurable outcomes when investing in streaming TV, according to the new study Streaming TV Uncovered: A Marketers’ Survey by Comcast Advertising and Longterm Colab.

HbbTV-based addressable advertising meets all these criteria. HbbTV allows broadcasters to replace linear TV ads with personalised campaigns while leveraging the massive inventory of linear broadcast TV – still more than half of total viewing in many markets. The additional HbbTV-TA specification further enhances HbbTV addressable advertising support with frame accurate synchronisation between broadcast content and broadband delivered personalised ads.

Reach at scale

HbbTV reached the milestone of 100 million European households in 2025, according to Dataxis figures and is set to surpass 120 million in 2026, far exceeding any single connected TV platform. Its unified framework works across all TV brands, offering advertisers a single, consistent inventory instead of fragmented platforms.

High-quality ad experiences

HbbTV delivers full-screen, lean-back ad environments with predictable playback and brand-safe placement, driving attention and stronger brand impact compared with app-based streaming.

Interactive and engaging formats

HbbTV pioneered interactive TV at scale with red-button campaigns in the early 2010s. Today, overlays, microsites, and shoppable features remain native, consistent, and standards-based across devices.

Advanced targeting and analytics

HbbTV based addressable advertising can-TA leverages broadcaster first-party and contextual data (with consent) for precise targeting and supports real-time measurement and optimisation, closing the traditional gap between TV delivery and performance.

Flexible inventory and programmatic integration

From linear to Broadcaster VOD and FAST Channels, HbbTV provides unified, programmatic-ready inventory, giving advertisers reach, control, and accountability in a single workflow.

In short: HbbTV combines premium ad environments, massive reach, interactivity, targeting, and measurement – aligning streaming TV investment with advertisers’ objectives across Europe.

The full study can be downloaded here: Streaming TV Uncovered: A Marketers’ Survey (PDF)

Jörn Krieger
Freelance Journalist

4. Beyond streaming: The range of services HbbTV enables

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

This article is the forth in the ‘Understanding HbbTV‘ series, a collection of insights developed by the HbbTV Association to help broadcasters, developers, and technology partners make the most of the HbbTV standard. Each article explores a different aspect of hybrid television: from the core architecture and specification to business models, interoperability, case studies, and the wider regulatory landscape.

The goal of the series is to bridge technical knowledge and real-world practice, showing how HbbTV enables open, scalable, and innovative services that combine the best of broadcast and broadband. Whether you’re building your first HbbTV app or shaping the strategy behind a national service, these articles offer a practical foundation for understanding the standard and its ecosystem.

When most people think of HbbTV, they think of catch-up or restart TV. But the HbbTV standard was designed from the beginning to support a much wider range of services, interactive, data-driven, and even business-to-business. Today, HbbTV applications go far beyond on-demand video, powering everything from accessibility tools to audience measurement systems.

Interactive features for viewers

HbbTV enables broadcasters to add a layer of interactivity to live television. While watching a linear programme, viewers can access additional features or related content — all within the same broadcast channel environment.

Some of the most common examples include:

  • Restart TV: Start the current programme again from the beginning.
  • Instant replay: Watch key moments from a live event within seconds of broadcast.
  • Catch-up TV: Access on-demand content from the past week or more.
  • Multi-camera feeds: Choose different camera angles or points of view for live events.
  • Programme information: Access enhanced metadata, recommendations, and schedules.
  • Follow-me: Resume content on another device when the user is authenticated.
  • UHD enhancements: Offer UHD or HDR versions of HD broadcasts, automatically detected by the TV.

All of these are made possible through a common set of APIs defined in the HbbTV specification, meaning developers can design these experiences once and deploy them across multiple markets.

Accessibility and inclusion

HbbTV also provides a foundation for accessibility services that improve the viewing experience for people with disabilities. Broadcasters across Europe have implemented accessibility portals and tools using standard HbbTV interfaces.

Examples include:

  • Subtitle and signing filters: Customise or filter content based on availability of subtitles or sign language.
  • Audio description: Deliver descriptive narration through IP synchronised with broadcast video.
  • High-contrast and zoomed interfaces: Improve readability for low-vision users.
  • Text-to-speech navigation: Enable audio-based guidance for visually impaired users.

A great example is the Freeview Play Accessible TV Guide in the UK, an HbbTV-based application available on channel 555, offering multiple accessibility modes. In Germany, ARD and other broadcasters use HbbTV to deliver signed video streams and synchronised audio description, even through companion mobile apps.

Business-to-business (B2B) applications

Not all HbbTV use cases are visible to viewers. Many broadcasters use the same technical framework to implement B2B-oriented applications that support analytics, regulation, and monetisation.

  • Audience measurement: Return path data from connected TVs provides real-time viewing metrics.
  • Consent management: Collect and store user permissions in compliance with GDPR.
  • Targeted advertising: Integrate viewer data to personalise ad delivery or optimise frequency capping.
  • Programme metadata exchange: Provide structured data feeds to partners or ad servers.

A good example comes from Austria’s Teletest 2.0, which integrates HbbTV data into the national TV ratings system, providing more accurate audience insights to broadcasters and advertisers.

Dynamic and addressable advertising

HbbTV also enables several types of addressable advertising, with or without the HbbTV-TA specification.

  • Dynamic Ad Substitution (DAS): Replace a broadcast ad with a broadband-delivered one, matched to the viewer’s profile.
  • Tune-in Ads: Ad shows when a viewer first tunes into a broadcast.
  • L-shaped banners: Overlay advertising in a corner of the screen without interrupting the programme.
  • Interactive formats: Enable viewers to click for more information, make appointments, or purchase directly from the screen.

The HbbTV-TA specification adds frame-accurate synchronisation and signalling to ensure seamless transitions between broadcast and broadband ads — used successfully by Mediaset in Italy and major broadcasters in Germany.

Developer Opportunities

For developers, HbbTV’s versatility means a single technology stack, HTML, JavaScript, and the HbbTV APIs, can deliver everything from video-on-demand to e-commerce, voting, and data analytics tools.

It’s an ecosystem where creative ideas and technical standards meet, enabling broadcasters, regulators, and developers to build new services that combine the strengths of broadcast reach and broadband interactivity.

In the next ‘Understanding HbbTV’ article, we’ll explore how these capabilities translate into viable business models, from free-to-air and freemium to subscription and pay-per-view.

5. Business models for HbbTV services

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

This article is the fifth in the ‘Understanding HbbTV‘ series, a collection of insights developed by the HbbTV Association to help broadcasters, developers, and technology partners make the most of the HbbTV standard. Each article explores a different aspect of hybrid television: from the core architecture and specification to business models, interoperability, case studies, and the wider regulatory landscape.

The goal of the series is to bridge technical knowledge and real-world practice, showing how HbbTV enables open, scalable, and innovative services that combine the best of broadcast and broadband. Whether you’re building your first HbbTV app or shaping the strategy behind a national service, these articles offer a practical foundation for understanding the standard and its ecosystem.

One of HbbTV’s greatest strengths is its flexibility. Because it’s an open, standardised environment for combining broadcast and broadband delivery, broadcasters and service providers can implement virtually any business model they choose, from free-to-air viewing to fully transactional, DRM-protected content.

Free-to-Air with on-demand extensions

The most common HbbTV model builds on traditional free-to-air (FTA) broadcasting. Linear programmes are delivered over broadcast networks, while on-demand or interactive extensions are offered through the HbbTV application via broadband.

Typical examples include:

  • Catch-up and restart TV
  • Additional programme information
  • Extended guides and recommendations
  • Interactive “red button” content such as voting or quizzes

These services extend the value of broadcast programming without changing the fundamental free-to-air model, helping broadcasters increase engagement and time spent with their brands.

Freemium: Blending free and paid experiences

Many broadcasters are now experimenting with a freemium approach, where core features remain free but premium content or functionality is unlocked via subscription or one-off payment.

HbbTV supports this model seamlessly. An application can provide open access to general content while reserving certain areas, such as premium live events, box sets or UHD upgrades, for registered or paying users.

By combining HTML5 interfaces with integrated payment and authentication APIs, developers can create consistent, secure freemium experiences that rival those of dedicated OTT platforms.

Subscription and pay models

HbbTV can also support fully subscription-based or transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) models. In these cases, all or most of the content is restricted to authorised users who have an active account or subscription.

HbbTV has always supported DRM protected content, making it possible to deliver premium, rights-protected content directly through the HbbTV application layer, without relying on proprietary manufacturer integrations. The introduction of the HbbTV DRM Specification and the upcoming HbbTV 2.0.5 release, broadcasters will be able to rely on more predictable and interoperable support for widely used DRM systems such as PlayReady and Widevine.

Typical pay-based use cases include:

  • Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD)
  • Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD)
  • Live event access (e.g. sports or concerts)
  • Micro-payment for UHD or early-release content

Ad-supported and addressable advertising

Advertising remains a key monetisation model for many HbbTV services. With HbbTV, broadcasters can personalise ad delivery at scale, replacing or overlaying broadcast advertisements with broadband-delivered alternatives. The HbbTV-TA specification, which augments the standard HbbTV specification further enhances this capability with near frame accurate switching.

This can be implemented as:

  • Full ad break substitution – replacing entire commercial blocks
  • Spot-level replacement – precise, frame-accurate insertion (best achieved with HbbTV-TA)
  • Overlay or banner formats – L-shapes, clickable pop-ups, or on-screen promotions

These formats allow broadcasters to compete with digital platforms by delivering addressable ads while preserving the viewer’s lean-back TV experience.

Complementary B2B models

Beyond consumer-facing models, HbbTV also supports B2B monetisation opportunities. For instance, broadcasters can use HbbTV applications to collect analytics, manage consent, and feed audience data into measurement systems.

These capabilities support secondary revenue streams such as audience research, campaign validation, or data-driven advertising services.

Building sustainable services

Because all these models, free, freemium, subscription, and ad-supported, can be delivered through the same HbbTV application, broadcasters can evolve their strategies over time without changing technology stacks.

A service might start as a free catch-up portal, introduce optional premium content, and later add addressable advertising or data partnerships. This flexibility is what makes HbbTV a powerful long-term platform for sustainable hybrid television.

In the next ‘Understanding HbbTV’ article, we’ll look more closely at the technical advantages that make HbbTV so effective on DTT and other broadcast platforms.

6. The technical advantages of HbbTV on DTT and beyond

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

This article is the sixth in the ‘Understanding HbbTV‘ series, a collection of insights developed by the HbbTV Association to help broadcasters, developers, and technology partners make the most of the HbbTV standard. Each article explores a different aspect of hybrid television: from the core architecture and specification to business models, interoperability, case studies, and the wider regulatory landscape.

The goal of the series is to bridge technical knowledge and real-world practice, showing how HbbTV enables open, scalable, and innovative services that combine the best of broadcast and broadband. Whether you’re building your first HbbTV app or shaping the strategy behind a national service, these articles offer a practical foundation for understanding the standard and its ecosystem.

Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) continues to play a central role in the European broadcast landscape. But as viewing habits shift and new devices emerge, it’s the HbbTV standard that gives DTT its modern, connected edge. By merging broadcast reliability with broadband flexibility, HbbTV extends what traditional television can do, without replacing it.

Hybrid by design

At its core, HbbTV is built for hybrid delivery. It seamlessly combines two worlds:

  • Broadcast delivery – providing high-quality, one-to-many distribution via DTT, satellite, or cable.
  • Broadband delivery – enabling interactive, personalised, or on-demand services through IP.

This combination lets broadcasters enrich their linear channels with advanced services, from catch-up and start-over to addressable advertising and dynamic data overlays, all within a single viewer experience.

Low-latency and responsive interactivity

Unlike traditional “red button” systems of the past, HbbTV uses modern web technologies such as HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript to deliver instantaneous interactivity. Because the application runs locally on the television, responses to user input are fast, fluid, and familiar.

Developers can use event listeners and timed metadata to synchronise interactivity with live video, enabling applications like real-time sports stats, live polling, or context-aware information panels.

Universal compatibility across networks

HbbTV was never tied to a single transmission technology. While DTT is a typical entry point, the same HbbTV application can work across:

  • DVB-S / S2 / S2x – Satellite
  • DVB-C – Cable
  • DVB-T / T2 – Terrestrial
  • IPTV
  • DVB-I – hybrid and IP-only linear delivery

This universality means broadcasters and developers can build once and deploy anywhere, reaching both traditional and IP-only viewers through the same codebase.

Extending the life of broadcast infrastructure

As viewing habits move online, broadcasters face pressure to migrate to pure IP platforms. HbbTV provides a bridge technology that allows them to modernise gradually, extending the life of existing broadcast infrastructure while introducing interactive features and new monetisation models.

With HbbTV, the transition to IP doesn’t require abandoning broadcast DVB standards, it builds upon them.

Ready for DVB-I integration

The close integration between HbbTV and DVB-I is another technical advantage. While DVB-I defines how to discover and list television services delivered over IP, HbbTV provides the presentation layer, managing UI, user interaction, consent, and DRM.

This combination allows broadcasters to offer hybrid channel lists that mix broadcast and streaming services, presented through a consistent, standards-based interface. It also makes HbbTV a future-proof framework as the industry shifts toward more flexible, IP-driven service delivery.

Built-in support for quality and compliance

HbbTV’s technical ecosystem includes a suite of over 3,200 compliance tests, reference applications, and interoperability tools. These ensure that applications and receivers behave consistently across manufacturers and markets.

Tools such as the HbbTV Reference Application, Zoo Directory, and Developer Portal help developers test, debug, and validate their apps, improving reliability and user experience across devices.

Advanced features at the edge of broadcast

HbbTV also supports features once considered exclusive to pure OTT environments:

  • Encrypted streaming via integrated DRM (PlayReady, Widevine)
  • Adaptive bitrate playback using MPEG-DASH
  • Addressable advertising including frame-accurate substitution with HbbTV-TA
  • Accessibility APIs for inclusive interfaces
  • Analytics and return path data for insight-driven improvements

All of this runs within an open standards framework that keeps broadcasters in control of their data, audience relationships, and brand experience.

Future-proof television

HbbTV gives DTT and other broadcast platforms a sustainable future. By combining open web technologies with broadcast delivery, it provides a pathway to innovation that preserves universality while embracing connectivity.

For developers, this means a stable yet evolving platform — one that continues to expand with each new release of the specification.

In the next ‘Understanding HbbTV’ article, we’ll explore how to ensure the quality, compliance, and interoperability that underpin successful HbbTV deployments.

8. HbbTV in action: Best practice case studies from across Europe

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

This article is the eighth in the ‘Understanding HbbTV‘ series, a collection of insights developed by the HbbTV Association to help broadcasters, developers, and technology partners make the most of the HbbTV standard. Each article explores a different aspect of hybrid television: from the core architecture and specification to business models, interoperability, case studies, and the wider regulatory landscape.

The goal of the series is to bridge technical knowledge and real-world practice, showing how HbbTV enables open, scalable, and innovative services that combine the best of broadcast and broadband. Whether you’re building your first HbbTV app or shaping the strategy behind a national service, these articles offer a practical foundation for understanding the standard and its ecosystem.

The HbbTV standard has become the foundation of many of Europe’s most innovative television experiences. From interactive services and audience measurement to addressable advertising and accessibility, broadcasters and platform operators are using HbbTV to enhance viewer engagement and create new business opportunities.

Here are some standout examples of HbbTV in action around the world.

Restart and On-Demand TV: Spain’s LovesTV

A joint initiative by Atresmedia, Mediaset España, and RTVE, LovesTV is one of Europe’s most successful HbbTV-based services. The free-to-air platform offers an enhanced interactive experience that combines live and on-demand viewing.

  • Restart a live programme from the beginning
  • Watch programmes from the past seven days
  • Browse recommendations and upcoming shows
  • Explore an improved interactive programme guide

LovesTV demonstrates how HbbTV can unify the broadcast and broadband experience while maintaining the simplicity of traditional TV.

Visit LovesTV

Audience Measurement: Austria’s Teletest 2.0

Thomas Gruber: Co-CEO bei ProSiebenSat.1 PULS 4 // Chairman of AGTT

Austria’s Teletest 2.0 shows how HbbTV data can power next-generation audience measurement. Launched in 2024 by Arbeitsgemeinschaft Teletest (AGTT) and Screenforce Österreich, the system integrates return-path data from over one million HbbTV-enabled devices.

By combining real-time viewing insights with traditional panel data, Teletest 2.0 provides:

  • More accurate audience tracking
  • Elimination of zero rated shows
  • Faster reporting cycles
  • Enhanced data for advertisers and agencies

This approach strengthens broadcasters’ understanding of their audiences and showcases the analytical potential of HbbTV.

Read more on Broadband TV News

Unified Streaming and Live TV: The UK’s Freely (OpApp)

In the UK, Freely – launched in 2024 by Everyone TV (a joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) – uses the HbbTV Operator Application (OpApp) specification to deliver a seamless, IP-based viewing experience.

Freely allows viewers to switch effortlessly between live and on-demand channels via a unified electronic programme guide (EPG), all streamed over broadband. There’s no need for an aerial — the TV connects via Wi-Fi, showing how HbbTV can power the transition to IP-only television.

This implementation offers a glimpse into the future of free-to-air TV in a connected world.

Visit Freely

Addressable and Interactive Advertising

HbbTV enables broadcasters to combine the reach of broadcast with the precision of digital. Across Europe, addressable advertising powered by HbbTV is delivering personalised ad experiences at scale.

  • Dynamic ad substitution (DAS) replacing broadcast ads with broadband-targeted ads
  • L-shaped banners and on-screen calls-to-action
  • Interactive commerce and appointment booking features

In addition to the core HbbTV specification, the DVB Addressable Advertising (DVB-TA) specification defines a common framework for delivering and substituting broadcast and broadband advertisements in a synchronized and standards-based way. It ensures that ad replacement on connected TVs is frame-accurate, seamless, and interoperable across different devices and broadcasters.

In Italy, Mediaset implemented HbbTV-TA in partnership with a major TV manufacturer to guarantee frame-accurate ad replacement and smooth transitions between broadcast and broadband content.

Barker Channels and Enhanced Discovery: ARTE Channel 77

ARTE TV

France’s ARTE pioneered the concept of a “barker channel”, an HbbTV service available on DTT channel 77. Viewers can tune directly to this channel or follow a prompt from the main ARTE broadcast to enter a rich HbbTV environment featuring thousands of hours of on-demand content.

The service was authorised by the French media regulator (CSA) and illustrates how HbbTV can extend editorial reach within the regulated broadcast framework.

Learn more

Accessibility Services in the UK and Germany

Freeview Play’s Accessible TV Guide

HbbTV also plays a key role in making television more inclusive.

In the UK, Freeview Play’s Accessible TV Guide (available on channel 555) provides:

  • Filters for subtitles, audio description, and sign language
  • High-contrast, zoomed interfaces for legibility
  • Optional text-to-speech navigation for blind or partially sighted viewers

Similarly, in Germany, ARD delivers accessibility enhancements via HbbTV, including subtitling, sign-language streams, and synchronised audio description through companion apps. These use cases highlight HbbTV’s flexibility to support diverse accessibility needs and regulatory requirements.

Conclusion

From Spain’s hybrid catch-up services to the UK’s IP-only platforms and Austria’s data-driven measurement, these examples underline the versatility and maturity of HbbTV across Europe. They show how open standards can power both creativity and efficiency, helping broadcasters, manufacturers, and developers deliver the next generation of connected TV experiences.

These international case studies show how broadcasters and platforms are using HbbTV to innovate across content delivery, advertising, and accessibility. But as hybrid TV grows, so does the importance of ensuring that these new services operate within a clear and trusted framework, balancing openness with accountability. In the next article, we explore how policy, regulation, and industry collaboration support a fair and transparent hybrid television ecosystem, helping innovation thrive while maintaining viewer trust and media integrity.

In the next ‘Understanding HbbTV’ article, we explore how regulation, governance, and industry collaboration help support a fair and transparent hybrid TV ecosystem.

HbbTV at the heart of Europe’s TV convergence: Key insights from Vincent Grivet at NXT Media Days

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

Connected TV continues to expand at speed across Europe, reshaping how broadcasters deliver content, manage audiences and monetise inventory. At NXT Media Days Europe, Vincent Grivet, Chairman of the HbbTV Association, delivered a focused and compelling overview of how HbbTV is driving this transformation. Speaking as part of the panel Seamless synergy: The convergence of CTV and linear TV in modern advertising, Grivet outlined why hybrid TV is now essential to the future of European broadcasting, and how HbbTV’s technical foundations, operational frameworks and widespread adoption place it at the centre of that future.

Grivet began with an introduction to his own background. He has spent two decades in telecoms and nearly 20 years in broadcast, which positions him as a hybrid minded person. HbbTV, he explained, was created for the very purpose of hybridizing TV, at a moment where it became obvious that traditional broadcast / linear TV could be enriched with internet delivered services . It merges the strengths of classical linear broadcasting with the personalisation, data capabilities and interactivity associated with digital platforms. 

Bridging the old world and the new world

A major theme across Grivet’s session was convergence. Traditional linear TV and modern streaming environments originated as separate silos served by different teams, technologies and business models. HbbTV, he argued, was built to merge these worlds and create a unified environment that works for broadcasters, manufacturers, advertisers and viewers alike.

HbbTV’s hybrid nature has long been visible through its familiar red button use case, which allows viewers watching a linear channel to access on demand options instantly. Addressable advertising extends that foundation. With HbbTV, broadcasters can deliver CTV-style targeted ads within live broadcast feeds with no disruption to user experience. “You could say this is done with CTV, no need for HbbTV,” he said. “Still, there are two big advantages. We unify the CTV world, and broadcasters stay in control.” 

This unification is important. CTV today consists of multiple vertical ecosystems. Different devices, different apps and different technical frameworks create complexity for broadcasters that need to manage 10 to 15 CTV platforms. HbbTV provides a single, cross-manufacturer mechanism that works across virtually all major brands. “We unify the CTV silos,” Grivet emphasised. “Broadcasters see only one.” 

Control is also a growing concern for European broadcasters, particularly given the dominance of gatekeeper-led CTV environments. HbbTV ensures that ad substitution in linear environments remains fully broadcaster managed with no intermediaries involved.

A mature and growing technology

Grivet supported these points with strong adoption figures. More than 100 million homes in Europe had HbbTV as of March 2025. This is projected to reach 120 million by the end of 2026, representing 17 percent annual growth. Usage is widespread in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain, where tens of millions access broadcaster services powered by HbbTV every day. 

Platforms such as Loves TV in Spain, Freeview Play and Freely in the United Kingdom and a growing number of satellite ecosystems across the MENA region all rely on HbbTV as a core building block. 

This widespread deployment has delivered measurable benefits to broadcasters and advertisers.

  • France Télévisions saw significant increases in engagement after launching an HbbTV startover service. More than half of surveyed users said they watched more TV as a result of this feature.
  • Mediaset and Publitalia reported uplifts of 18 percent in drive to store and 56 percent in drive to site from HbbTV-powered addressable ad campaigns.
  • TV Nova in the Czech Republic demonstrated guaranteed frequency-capped impressions by combining linear and digital delivery.
  • AGTT in Austria used HbbTV-based measurement to illuminate previously unmeasurable channels with very small audiences.

Across markets, Grivet summarised the impact clearly. “Yes, HbbTV brings tangible audience and engagement improvements.”

Overcoming the challenges of addressable TV

Although addressable advertising through HbbTV is proven and widely deployed, Grivet outlined key challenges that broadcasters must consider.

The first is awareness. Many broadcasters do not yet understand the maturity or potential of HbbTV. Some assume it will only become relevant in several years, while others consider it outdated. Both views are incorrect.

The second challenge is application development. Broadcasters need an HbbTV application capable of supporting dynamic ad substitution. Fortunately, a strong ecosystem of vendors now provides this expertise.

Consent is another challenge, although HbbTV can help streamline consent acquisition and management.

Finally, certification is essential. The HbbTV-TA specification is an enhancement to HbbTV that supports frame-accurate switching but  broadcasters who wish to use it to benefit from this important upside must ensure campaigns only run on verified devices. ATVI, an initiative created by German’s two leading commercial broadcast groups, already manages certification and provides real-time access to validated device lists. 

Grivet noted that the shift towards all-IP distribution presents both a challenge and an opportunity. As DVB-I evolves, HbbTV is preparing for hybrid and pure IP scenarios, including the possibility of an IP-only version of the specification.

Transparency, measurement and viewer experience

A further benefit of HbbTV is improved transparency and measurement. HbbTV applications can enable broadcasters and ad servers to understand precisely what was delivered on each device. Combined with its cross-manufacturer reach, HbbTV enables consistent measurement across brands, platforms and both linear and non-linear viewing. 

HbbTV also continues to enhance the viewer experience. It supports voting, accessibility services, UHD enhancements, sports statistics and complete service entry experiences such as Freely and Loves TV. For many viewers in Europe, HbbTV has become the gateway to modern broadcaster services.

The next five years and the path to success

Grivet concluded with a clear vision of what will define hybrid TV’s success over the next three to five years.

  • Broad adoption of HbbTV-TA across all television models
  • Ad technology platforms fully integrating HbbTV-TA into unified linear and digital workflows
  • Standards that support all-IP distribution without dependency on delivery networks

As hybrid usage becomes the norm, blending broadcast, streaming, video-on-demand and addressable advertising, HbbTV’s role as Europe’s open and unifying standard places it at the centre of this transformation. Grivet’s message was clear: Hybrid TV is no longer experimental. It is a proven and scalable opportunity that broadcasters and advertisers can embrace with confidence.

HbbTV emerges as a powerful tool for audience measurement in a fragmented TV world

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

As broadcasters and audience researchers face increasing fragmentation in TV audiences and specifically in the Connected TV (CTV) landscape, HbbTV is increasingly seen as a practical and strategic solution for modern audience measurement. This became evident at the asi International Television & Video Conference 2025 in Copenhagen, where HbbTV Chair Vincent Grivet outlined how the open standard can help rebuild stability and transparency in a market dominated by walled gardens, proprietary data ecosystems and shifting viewing habits. His presentation drew on both his long-term industry experience and the standard’s rapid expansion across Europe and beyond.

A positive reception at an influential global measurement gathering

The reception at the conference suggested that while a handful of players, including national audience bodies such as AGTT in Austria, AGF in Germany, Kantar in Spain and BARB in the UK, already use or trial HbbTV for analytics, many attendees were encountering the technology for the first time. A large portion of the audience expressed surprise at the maturity and breadth of the standard, as well as the fact that it already operates across multiple TV manufacturers and distribution networks at a large scale. For researchers accustomed to negotiating access with individual platform owners, the idea of a horizontal, cross-manufacturer technology offering consistent measurement capabilities came as a welcome surprise.

Fragmentation of the Connected TV ecosystem complicates measurement

The conference also reinforced a broader industry theme: the deep fragmentation of the Connected TV environment. With more than ten significant operating systems in play, broadcasters must navigate a patchwork of technical requirements, data policies and commercial constraints. This fragmentation undermines both broadcaster autonomy and the measurement community’s ability to build coherent datasets. In his presentation, Grivet illustrated how CTVs have become the primary screen for video consumption, yet the operating systems controlling them are dominated by global tech companies whose business models limit access to viewer data. Many conference participants voiced concern about the ongoing “privatisation of audience data,” a trend that mirrors the erosion of the traditional neutrality of the television set.

HbbTV positioned as an open, unified alternative

Against this backdrop, HbbTV offers a different path. The standard was created to unify broadcast and broadband delivery and now functions as a common, open environment for apps on connected TVs. Grivet highlighted that any service typically associated with proprietary CTV platforms, ranging from replay and enriched EPGs to personalisation and multi-camera streams, can be implemented via HbbTV. Same is true for more commercial services, like audience measurement or personalized advertising or on-screen shopping. For audience measurement, the standard supports large-scale data collection that complements traditional panels with census-style insights. Consent is integrated into the technical framework, simplifying compliance with European data protection rules.

Because HbbTV runs across the different manufacturer-controlled environments, it creates a harmonized,  open and transparent layer for capturing actual viewing behaviour, for instance revealing audiences for smaller, local or niche channels that legacy measurement methods mistakenly treat as “zero rated,” despite the fact that they are being watched.

Real-world deployments demonstrate the value of HbbTV analytics

Current deployments across Europe already demonstrate the value of HbbTV-based analytics. National measurement bodies and broadcasters use HbbTV applications to collect viewing data in real time, refine audience curves, enrich panel datasets and track the performance of addressable advertising. The strong alignment between HbbTV usage and the rise of addressable advertising was another focal point of Grivet’s presentation. The HbbTV-TA specification, enabling frame-accurate substitution of broadcast ads, is now being integrated into reception devices by major global manufacturers. Grivet expects a total of 15-20 million compliant devices to be in the market in 2026. This makes HbbTV-based analytics a natural companion to addressable advertising strategies, providing a transparent way to assess campaign reach and effectiveness.

Measurement specialists face wider structural challenges

However, measurement specialists at the conference described broader challenges that extend beyond any individual technology. Fragmented viewing habits, inconsistent aggregation efforts, the shift towards global streaming services and the evolving role of live sports all complicate the production of accurate national audience currencies. 

HbbTV offers neutrality and stability in a time of industry uncertainty

In this environment, HbbTV’s neutrality, horizontality and scale offer a rare source of technological stability. Europe now counts more than 100 million HbbTV-capable households, and adoption is expanding quickly in markets such as Turkey and across the Middle East and North Africa. The standard provides a single application environment across manufacturers and networks, giving broadcasters full control over their data and protecting them from unwanted intermediation. In conclusion, these developments show that HbbTV is no longer simply a tool for enhancing broadcast television but a critical enabler for broadcasters and measurement bodies as they navigate the increasingly complex Connected TV ecosystem.

The presentation by HbbTV Chair Vincent Grivet is available for download here. A recording of the presentation can be accessed here.

Details on the asi International Television & Video Conference 2025 in Copenhagen can be found here. 

HbbTV in action: Best practice case studies from across Europe

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

The HbbTV standard has become the foundation of many of Europe’s most innovative television experiences. From interactive services and audience measurement to addressable advertising and accessibility, broadcasters and platform operators are using HbbTV to enhance viewer engagement and create new business opportunities.

Here are some standout examples of HbbTV in action around the world.

Restart and On-Demand TV: Spain’s LovesTV

A joint initiative by Atresmedia, Mediaset España, and RTVE, LovesTV is one of Europe’s most successful HbbTV-based services. The free-to-air platform offers an enhanced interactive experience that combines live and on-demand viewing.

  • Restart a live program from the beginning
  • Watch programmes from the past seven days
  • Browse recommendations and upcoming shows
  • Explore an improved interactive programme guide

LovesTV demonstrates how HbbTV can unify the broadcast and broadband experience while maintaining the simplicity of traditional TV.

Visit LovesTV

Audience Measurement: Austria’s Teletest 2.0

Thomas Gruber: Co-CEO bei ProSiebenSat.1 PULS 4 // Chairman of AGTT

Austria’s Teletest 2.0 shows how HbbTV data can power next-generation audience measurement. Launched in 2024 by Arbeitsgemeinschaft Teletest (AGTT) and Screenforce Österreich, the system integrates return-path data from over one million HbbTV-enabled devices.

By combining real-time viewing insights with traditional panel data, Teletest 2.0 provides:

  • More accurate audience tracking
  • Elimination of zero rated shows
  • Faster reporting cycles
  • Enhanced data for advertisers and agencies

This approach strengthens broadcasters’ understanding of their audiences and showcases the analytical potential of HbbTV.

Read more on Broadband TV News

Unified Streaming and Live TV: The UK’s Freely (OpApp)

In the UK, Freely – launched in 2024 by Everyone TV (a joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) – uses the HbbTV Operator Application (OpApp) specification to deliver a seamless, IP-based viewing experience.

Freely allows viewers to switch effortlessly between live and on-demand channels via a unified electronic programme guide (EPG), all streamed over broadband. There’s no need for an aerial — the TV connects via Wi-Fi, showing how HbbTV can power the transition to IP-only television.

This implementation offers a glimpse into the future of free-to-air TV in a connected world.

Visit Freely

Addressable and Interactive Advertising

HbbTV enables broadcasters to combine the reach of broadcast with the precision of digital. Across Europe, addressable advertising powered by HbbTV is delivering personalised ad experiences at scale.

  • Dynamic ad substitution (DAS) replacing broadcast ads with broadband-targeted ads
  • L-shaped banners and on-screen calls-to-action
  • Interactive commerce and appointment booking features

In addition to the core HbbTV specification, the DVB Addressable Advertising (DVB-TA) specification defines a common framework for delivering and substituting broadcast and broadband advertisements in a synchronized and standards-based way. It ensures that ad replacement on connected TVs is frame-accurate, seamless, and interoperable across different devices and broadcasters.

In Italy, Mediaset implemented HbbTV-TA in partnership with a major TV manufacturer to guarantee frame-accurate ad replacement and smooth transitions between broadcast and broadband content.

Barker Channels and Enhanced Discovery: ARTE Channel 77

ARTE TV

France’s ARTE pioneered the concept of a “barker channel”, an HbbTV service available on DTT channel 77. Viewers can tune directly to this channel or follow a prompt from the main ARTE broadcast to enter a rich HbbTV environment featuring thousands of hours of on-demand content.

The service was authorised by the French media regulator (CSA) and illustrates how HbbTV can extend editorial reach within the regulated broadcast framework.

Learn more

Accessibility Services in the UK and Germany

Freeview Play’s Accessible TV Guide

HbbTV also plays a key role in making television more inclusive.

In the UK, Freeview Play’s Accessible TV Guide (available on channel 555) provides:

  • Filters for subtitles, audio description, and sign language
  • High-contrast, zoomed interfaces for legibility
  • Optional text-to-speech navigation for blind or partially sighted viewers

Similarly, in Germany, ARD delivers accessibility enhancements via HbbTV, including subtitling, sign-language streams, and synchronised audio description through companion apps. These use cases highlight HbbTV’s flexibility to support diverse accessibility needs and regulatory requirements.

Conclusion

From Spain’s hybrid catch-up services to the UK’s IP-only platforms and Austria’s data-driven measurement, these examples underline the versatility and maturity of HbbTV across Europe. They show how open standards can power both creativity and efficiency, helping broadcasters, manufacturers, and developers deliver the next generation of connected TV experiences.

HbbTV Awards 2025 open for entries

Posted on by Matthew Huntington

The HbbTV Association, is pleased to invite entries for this year’s HbbTV Awards. The contest will take place as part of the 13th HbbTV Symposium and Awards on 12-13 November in Istanbul, jointly hosted by the HbbTV Association and TVekstra, a leading Turkish service provider specialising in addressable TV advertising solutions. The HbbTV Awards will be held for the eighth time, showcasing and celebrating best practice and excellence in the HbbTV community.

The providers of HbbTV applications and services are welcome to submit their entries through this online form; the website also details the terms and conditions of the free competition.

The categories for the HbbTV Awards 2025 are: 

  • Best Advertising Innovation Using HbbTV
  • Best Tool or Product for HbbTV Service Development or Delivery
  • Best HbbTV Technology Innovation
  • Best Use of HbbTV for Content Discovery
  • Best Accessibility Solution in an HbbTV Service
  • Judges’ Award: “HbbTV Newcomer of the Year”

A company may enter as many submissions as they like in up to two categories. Each submission will require a separate form to be completed. The awards are free to enter. Entries will be judged on their execution, impact and innovation.

The closing date for submissions is 30 September 2025. A shortlist of finalists will be put forward to a panel of industry experts who will select the winners. The finalists will be announced by 31 October 2025.

“The HbbTV Awards 2025 will provide an outstanding platform to highlight the most innovative and successful services and applications built on the HbbTV specifications. The great interest we already see both in Europe and in MENA and Asian markets further demonstrates the Awards’ international recognition as the connected TV industry’s benchmark for excellence. I would like to strongly encourage all market players to submit their entries and compete for the industry’s most prestigious honour at this year’s HbbTV Symposium in Istanbul,” said Vincent Grivet, Chair of the HbbTV Association.

The prizes will be awarded at a glamorous ceremony on 12 November as part of the HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2025. All finalists are invited to attend the awards celebration.

The winners of the seventh HbbTV Awards, held in 2024 in London, UK, include Mediaset España (MFE-MediaForEurope), Addressable TV Initiative (RTL Television/Seven.OneEntertainment Group), Everyone TV (BBC/ITV/Channel 4/Channel 5) and YouView.

The Symposium targets a wide-ranging audience, including platform operators, broadcasters, advertisers, adtech companies, standards bodies, and technology vendors. This year’s focus will be on monetisation strategies enabled by HbbTV, particularly in the areas of addressable advertising, innovative revenue-generation methods, and business expansion opportunities, driven by standards and specifications such as the HbbTV Operator Application, HbbTV-TA, and DVB-I.

The HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2025 continues the successful two-day format established in previous years. The first day will offer a traditional conference setting, featuring keynotes, presentations, panel discussions, and roundtables. Leading industry experts and executives will present, showcase, and discuss the latest developments, innovations, and use cases.

On the second day, the event will adopt an unconference format. Attendees will actively shape the agenda, proposing topics and leading breakout discussions in a collaborative and informal environment. This format enables open dialogue and creative exchange, providing a unique opportunity to explore real-world challenges and share practical solutions, whether technical or business related.

This year’s edition of the connected TV industry’s annual key summit will be hosted at the Swissôtel The Bosphorus Istanbul, a five-star hotel offering first-class conference and accommodation facilities with panoramic views over the iconic Bosphorus.

Details on the sponsoring packages at the HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2025 and the preceding preview and demo events can be found in the Call for Sponsors.