One of the things I like to do most after a travel-intensive month is join the dots between insights gathered at different industry events, turning them into actionable next steps.

The last month has been one of those months. I've been at Northern Waves, HbbTV Symposium, BroadcastPro ME Summit & Awards, and DPP Leaders' Briefing. Besides the invaluable networking opportunities, all of these events have provided me with new angles to look at the market. At the HbbTV Symposium, I had the opportunity to share my thoughts during an online live panel prior to the event and further expand on them through conversations at the event itself.

At the end of the day, most sessions converge on the key differentiators broadcasters and streamers need to pursue in a world of content aggregation. I tried to identify what are the pillars driving transformation in a hyper-competitive field. But first, let's focus on HbbTV.

What is HbbTV?

Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (or “HbbTV”) is a global initiative to improve the video user experience for consumers through connected TVs, set‐top boxes and multiscreen devices. The specification uses elements of existing specifications from other standards including DVB, MPEG-DASH and W3C – all with a goal of delivering an industry standard in TV services which enable innovative, interactive services over broadcast and broadband networks.

With over 15 years of experience building Web, mobile, STB, and Smart TV applications, Deltatre has supported numerous HbbTV enablements for clients in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Denmark.

Synthesizing the insights gathered from the mentioned events, thse are the key pillars driving the transformation in TV broadcasting.

Content

Focusing on target-specific content — for Gen Z and beyond — is now a must. Successful examples include vertical video and snackable content, where 9:16-specific production is now commonly adopted for news, sports, and entertainment. At Northern Waves in Oslo, Schibsted's VGTV shared the outcomes of their successful launch of vertical video in news. Leading media conglomerates in the Middle East confirmed the trend at the BroadcastPro Middle East event in Dubai. Content needs to be fluid and adapt to users' preferences, not the opposite.

UX (User Experience)

Creating an interactive, participative, gamified, and socially-enabled UX is key to retaining over-stimulated users. This is impactful not only in sports, where live sports data and stats can be synchronized in real-time with video for an immersive, context-driven viewing experience. It is crucial in entertainment as well, a field we at Deltatre are experimenting in building specific interactive use cases for TV Shows, TV Series, Music Contests, and News.

Audience Segmentation

Personalization is becoming the key differentiator for modern OTT services. This goes beyond content personalization to include UX personalization by content, user, device, language, territory, and time frame. At Deltatre, we have invested significantly in this area and achieved market success by leveraging data collected from various audience touchpoints and empowering editorial teams with full control over it. Looking ahead, AI will play a pivotal role in enabling hyper-personalization. As noted during the CTO panel at Broadcast Pro ME: "AI is already shaping our lives. The focus now is not on choosing AI but governing it effectively".

One-stop-shop Platforms

Ensuring the efficiency of multiplatform distribution by combining Broadcast, OTT, and Digital channels. For example, the newly revamped ICC.com — the official website of the International Cricket Council — was developed by merging ICC.com and ICC.tv into a one-stop shop for end users. Similarly, E& (formerly Etisalat) has adopted a holistic approach by offering content across TV, Digital, and OTT platforms while extending services such as e-commerce. E&’s recent acquisition of Careem (a taxi app) demonstrates its ambition to build a 360° relationship with end users and consumers, leveraging data collected from numerous touchpoints.

What is the role of HbbTV?

HbbTV is a crucial enabler of the multi-touchpoint approach to end users and a powerful asset for delivering personalized TV. This approach is particularly strategic for broadcasters, as it combines the strengths of traditional broadcast TV and branding with innovative online BVOD services and a pervasive digital presence. We at Deltatre are bringing our multi-channel expertise in sports and entertainment into the HbbTV space by leveraging the standard's native capabilities. Designed to facilitate TV and digital convergence, HbbTV enhances linear TV by introducing personalization and interactivity features typically associated with online platforms. The standard also enables targeted advertising opportunities, aligning seamlessly with today's cross-platform monetization strategies.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Deltatre’s interactive video player features integrate with modern HbbTV apps, get in touch with us today.