HbbTV puts measurement, advertising and identity in focus at IBC 2026
HbbTV used the DVB Project Meetup programme at IBC 2026 to highlight its latest activities, with a particular focus on three new Application Interest Groups (AIGs) covering audience measurement, advanced advertising, and consent and identity.
Presented by Matthew Huntington, Manager of the HbbTV Developer Programme, the session explored how the new groups will provide a forum for organisations interested in developing and promoting important commercial applications of HbbTV.
The initiative builds on the close relationship between DVB and HbbTV. DVB technologies provide foundations for television service delivery, while HbbTV adds an interactive application layer. This combination is already widely deployed with traditional broadcast services and is becoming increasingly relevant to DVB-I, where HbbTV can provide application and interactive experiences across broadcast and IP-delivered television.
Bringing application communities together
The three AIGs reflect areas where HbbTV technology can play a growing role in the television ecosystem. Unlike HbbTV’s specification-focused activities, the groups are centred on applications and use cases, bringing together organisations with a shared interest in particular areas.
The Audience Measurement AIG, launching shortly, will focus on the opportunities created by combining established audience measurement approaches with return-path data from connected televisions. This has the potential to provide greater granularity and more timely insights, while enhancing rather than necessarily replacing established measurement panels. Better measurement can also provide an important foundation for demonstrating the value of television advertising.
The Advanced Advertising AIG, which is coming soon, will build on HbbTV technologies that already enable broadcasters to deliver interactive and addressable advertising. HbbTV provides an opportunity to extend addressability to traditional broadcast audiences, combining the reach of linear television with capabilities more commonly associated with digital advertising. This is becoming increasingly important as broadcasters look for ways to maximise the value of their advertising inventory.
Completing the three groups is the forthcoming Consent and Identity AIG. Measurement and addressable advertising increasingly depend on effective approaches to consent and identity, but these need to work within the particular requirements of the television environment. The group will therefore consider an area that is closely connected to both measurement and advertising, with maintaining viewer trust an important consideration.
More information on the application interest groups can be found here.
Expanding participation in HbbTV
The AIG initiative also sits alongside changes intended to broaden participation in the HbbTV Association. New Small Member and Associate Member tiers complement Full Membership, creating additional routes for organisations to become involved in HbbTV activities.
A fuller picture at the HbbTV Symposium and Awards
For those looking to explore these developments in greater depth, the HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2026 will provide an opportunity to hear a much broader update on HbbTV from across the ecosystem.
Taking place on 18-19 November 2026 in Barcelona, the event will bring together broadcasters, platform operators, technology providers, manufacturers and other HbbTV stakeholders. The conference programme will cover topics including market developments and audience measurement, HbbTV’s place in tomorrow’s televisions, content discovery and user engagement, the future of HbbTV applications, and new interfaces and experiences.
Alongside the conference, the HbbTV Awards will recognise innovation and achievement across areas including audience measurement and analytics, advertising, applications and enabling technologies.
For anyone wanting to understand where HbbTV is heading, how it is being deployed and the new applications being developed around it, the Symposium and Awards provides the ideal opportunity to hear directly from organisations working across the HbbTV ecosystem.
Together, the new Application Interest Groups represent an increased focus on how HbbTV is used in real-world services. By bringing together organisations around measurement, advertising, consent and identity, HbbTV aims to encourage collaboration around applications that can help broadcasters develop their connected television services and business models.
