10 Year HbbTV Anniversary Special

“TV sets with integrated HbbTV and related capabilities are key for all market players to provide the right services to match rising consumer expectations.”

“We are convinced that open standards like HbbTV can help the market to thrive. HbbTV is a perfect match for broadcasters, platform operators, TV manufacturers and consumer. German TV-Platform is proud to have succeeded in moderating the dialogue on requirements for the HbbTV 2 standard at an early stage – especially between broadcasters and the manufacturers. In this way, we have been able to set the course for the further development of HbbTV both on services and hardware level, and for the consumer to be able to fully benefit of the broadcasters’ HbbTV offerings.”

I had the pleasure to serve the HbbTV Association as Project Coordinator in the past more than 5 years and have been in the industry already at the start of HbbTV 10 years ago in different functions. I’ve enjoyed the spirit and engagement of the Steering/Working Group members and many further supporters and sponsors growing HbbTV to a well-respected standard in the TV-industry. I would like to wish HbbTV continued growth and acceptance in the very competitive TV-environment! And I would like to thank all HbbTV people I had the pleasure to work with in the past years for their open minded and trustful corporation!

HBBTV is a special environment, where all parties in the TV ecosystem agree on specifications. Interests don’t necessarily align and I have found it fascinating to work on forging agreements, particularly between operators and broadcasters. Technical decisions always have business repercussions, and if a group like HbbTV manages to reconcile these different interests it may  be successful – and HbbTV certainly is. I found it especially gratifying to work on specifications that were initially controversial, but are now at the heart of HbbTV. The best example is “Operator Apps.

“I am proud that I could start the development of HbbTV in Poland in 2012. HbbTV gives us a lot of possibilities that have enabled me to redefine interactive television, interactive TV advertising. By developing HbbTV applications I have the freedom to create new TV services, where there is no longer a border between what is broadcasted live or on demand. I am a huge enthusiast of hybrid TV based on the HbbTV standard.”

“HbbTV successfully brought together the two worlds of broadcast and broadband on one device for the first time. Now, HbbTV 2 goes one step further and creates a new seamless television experience with multi-screen and multi-stream features.”

Manufacturer-independent and open: These two parameters have contributed significantly to the implementation of the HbbTV standard in almost every smart set these days. HbbTV 2 is a great achievement, for example regarding the replay function, new on-demand options for UHD or HDR content and the integration of companion devices. We are looking forward to the further development. Congratulations to the 10-year anniversary!

“HbbTV is the only smart TV technology that does the trick of complementing linear television with a strong online offer and using it to mature into something new. With the proposition of strong catch-up services and many smart functions, HbbTV has established itself as the European Smart TV approach while, at the same time, being independent of platforms and manufacturers. There is still a lot waiting for us here.”

“HbbTV is an international successful interactive TV standard that facilitates the development and market launch of hybrid TV applications while addressing well-established Web and media streaming standards.”

“The introduction of HbbTV has been a tremendous success and the market is still developing. Deutsche TV-Plattform has supported HbbTV from the very beginning, offering all the tools needed to communicate and to work on HbbTV topics from the perspective of the German market. We are happy to continue to provide impulses on how to create added value with HbbTV to the market. I’d therefor like to invite you to join our work groups and continue to build the success story of HbbTV throughout the next decade.”

“New HbbTV services with engaging features and personalised access services help to increase audiences.”

“As broadcasters and service providers are under pressure to fundamentally redesign the experiences they propose to their viewers, they increasingly acknowledge that HbbTV is the open technology platform they need to support this challenging transformation process. With their growing engagement and the support of manufacturers, HbbTV has the potential to become a global reference for the next decade.”

Vincent Grivet, Chair of the HbbTV Association

In 2010, HbbTV created the foundation for the combination of television and the Internet, which has gained significance every year. Catch-up services, video-on-demand, replay TV, targeted advertising: With HbbTV, television can show how much it has to offer.

“After laying the foundation for interactivity, addressable TV and personalisation, HbbTV is now enabling a brand new set of ground-breaking applications for the citizens.”

Even though it may not always come naturally, I think operators and broadcaster create real value when they cooperate. HbbTV is a fantastic platform to enable this with open standards, and the Operator Applications spec is an great example where this vision materialises. For me it has been a rewarding experience to work with some of industry’s finest on the forefront of TV innovation.

                                                                         Teun van der Veen, TNO

HbbTV combines broadcast and IP world in a unique technical manner, and perfectly bridges the gap between two former separate worlds. Convenient, seamless, and easy to use like no technology before. 10 years already – it still feels as if HbbTV has just started, when looking at all the ongoing innovations and already existing exiting solutions in the markets. Keen to see the innovations to come in the next 10 years.

“At SES (formerly at SES ASTRA), we have always strongly believed in the benefits of open standards. That is why we have been involved in the development of HbbTV from the very beginning. The mergering of broadcast and broadband was an obvious choice at the time and appeared to be a logical evolution of classic broadcasting. The success of HbbTV over the last ten years has proven us right. Neither a TV set nor a TV station is readily conceivable today without HbbTV.

At the same time, we have proven ourselves in the market as a service provider with innovative product ideas. Initially as a provider of HbbTV applications for TV channels, today with the first HbbTV operator application on the market, launched for HD+. HbbTV has enabled us to be successful with innovative products even in a horizontal market. We are looking toward to the future of HbbTV with excitement and confidence.”

“TV is in continuous evolution, and HbbTV has created the tool for evolving linear TV taking advantage of the connected TVs from a broadcasters perspective.”

“HbbTV came from two different product development activities, and my overriding memories of initial HbbTV meetings is the feeling of a single well-aligned team working towards a product. Initially, HbbTV was very much about quickly delivering products and services that consumers wanted to use.  Some people’s reaction was that HbbTV was too simple to be a big success because there were many things it couldn’t do; but this was due to a deliberate focus on the 20% of functionality that provided 80% of the value to consumers. By making sure that there was clear value to all of the organisations involved – content providers, broadcasters, technology providers and device manufacturers – it was easy to get co-operation and work towards the goal of getting devices and services in people’s homes.”

Steve Morris, Enghouse Networks

“HbbTV ensures that balance is achieved between the app world and the broadcast world.”

“HbbTV shows that despite all trends towards closed platforms dominated by big players, broadcasters and the CE industry can successfully create and introduce open infrastructures for advanced media and web services.”

The HbbTV standard is a unique global success story. It builds the bridge between the broadcast and broadband worlds and enables consumers to access compelling next generation entertainment content.

“HbbTV has opened up new possibilities to offer a completely new TV experience. The classic channel switching was supplemented by video on demand, news, and interactive formats. The way television should be today.”

“HbbTV is critical for broadcasters to modernise their business model.”

10 years ago, HbbTV laid the cornerstone for a seamless connection of broadcast and broadband technology to complement traditional linear TV channels with on-demand services on an a manufacturer-independent and open basis. The support of new technologies and standards by the new HbbTV 2.0 standard, such as the replay function, UHD, HDR and much more, considerably extends and enriches the possibilities of smart TVs and mobile devices. Congratulations on the anniversary and all the best for the future!

“HbbTV is one of those beautiful examples of an open ecosystem, which creates a fair playing field for its respective stakeholders. I am truely delighted to see how far it has come in the last ten years!”

Wim Steenbergen, Consultant, former Philips Strategist

I have been involved with HbbTV Testing Group since 2011, when the group started development of the first test materials to enable implementers to test receivers against the HbbTV specification. Today HbbTV is implemented in 36 countries throughout the world. It is amazing to think about how many initiatives have been born and how many new technologies have been supported by HbbTV standard since then. Altogether it has been a wonderful journey and while there have been many challenges along the way, so much has been achieved. Let us hope for the best in the coming years!

Nguyen Thi Thanh Van”

The presence and success of HbbTV in so many markets, while not only creating new and evolving existing business models, also reminds us to question what the best experience for our viewers is. This constant re-imagining of broadcast television not only transforms the possibilities for viewers, but is also a strong influence at the heart of digital transformations within broadcasters too.