Rai Way services

Innovative Hybrid Services

When consumer habits change, so does television.

We know just how important it is for a broadcaster to provide its users with a top-class visual and entertainment experience; that’s why we support the evolution into Next Gen TV.

HbbTV

Broadcast meets broadband!

HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast-Broadband Television) is an international standard developed by market leaders to bring the experience of television to another level. It combines broadcast transmission with broadband transmission, enabling hybrid entertainment services which are innovative, interactive, and accessible through connected TVs and Set-Top Boxes.

How does it work?

HbbTV enriches the user’s viewing experience, and does so in the most intuitive way possible.
When a user with a connected TV which supports standard HbbTV tunes into a television channel with a broadcast-related application made available by the broadcaster, a ‘call-to-action’ will appear on screen. An example of this could be an invitation to press a button on the remote control to access additional.

Responding to the call-to-action will bring up the app, which can, for example, provide additional information on a programme, allow access to on-demand content, or provide any kind of interactive tool.
The user interacts with the screen by pressing the buttons on the remote control, or using a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet.

The advantages

Interoperability. All devices which are compatible with this standard can access HbbTV services, irrespective of the brand or operating system it uses. HbbTV is an international standard based on standard protocol HTML5 and other web technologies including OIPF (Open IPTV Forum), CEA-2014 (CE-HTML), W3C, DVB Application Signalling Specification (ETSI TS 102 809) and DASH..
Ease of management . When it comes to connected TV, each broadcaster must develop and run their own video streaming apps, adapting them to each operating system and to every device to ensure the best user experience. This incurs a not-insignificant cost and commitment. Standard HbbTV overcomes this obstacle; all compatible devices are automatically granted access to HbbTV applications, providing an unbeatable user experience.
Automatic updates. Every HbbTV system release is automatically accessible to users with no action needed.

The most-requested applications

Enriched TV. Enrich your viewing experience by adding information to your channels, such as social feeds, RSS news, statistics, rankings, and all other information relevant to broadcasting content. Do you have multiple channels? Highlight them on your main channel, increasing your viewing figures.
Live Streaming and VoD: Create an immersive UX and UI, manage your on-demand content library, and add live streaming content.
Audience Measurement: A tool for better interpreting your data. Analyse access to your channel, measure the performance of your content, understand your market segment, and define your business plan.
Digital Advertising: Your additional revenue stream. The hybrid system brings new forms of advertising: digital, targeted, and interactive. In this way, you can introduce yourself to the world of addressable TV advertising, and gain the most value possible from advertising spaces.
Participation TV: Interact with your audience. Through the app, users can participate in the on air TV programme in a more involved way. An example of this could be through responding to surveys or providing feedback, all through their remote control.
Gaming: Create games which can be played using the remote control.

We are constantly researching new applications that can be developed for HbbTV. If you have a particular need, we’d like to hear about it; that way, we can develop the best possible HbbTV solution, together.