HbbTV’s role in a rapidly evolving TV ecosystem
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.
Vincent Grivet, Chair HbbTV Association
In his keynote at the HbbTV Symposium 2025, Vincent Grivet, Chair of the HbbTV Association, set out a clear view of how the television landscape is evolving and why HbbTV remains central to its future.
His starting point was a recognition that the TV market is undergoing significant and sometimes contradictory change. Linear television continues to decline, but not uniformly across regions, and it remains a substantial part of overall viewing. At the same time, broadcasters are successfully reinventing themselves as streaming providers, achieving strong growth in their digital services.
Meanwhile, streaming platforms are evolving in the opposite direction. Initially focused on pure on-demand, subscription-based models, many are now embracing live content and advertising, areas traditionally associated with broadcast television. The result is a convergence of models, where broadcasters and streamers are increasingly adopting each other’s strengths.
One of the most notable developments highlighted in the keynote was the rise of YouTube as the leading streaming destination on television. Its scale and advertising-driven model underline the growing importance of digital, addressable advertising within the TV ecosystem.
Alongside these shifts, the European market is experiencing broader structural changes. New distribution partnerships between broadcasters and global streaming platforms are emerging, raising both opportunities and longer-term strategic questions. At the same time, consolidation and mergers are beginning to reshape the landscape, potentially leading to the creation of larger, more competitive European media groups.
Despite these changes, one persistent challenge remains. Delivering services to connected TVs is significantly more complex than to mobile or desktop platforms. Instead of a small number of operating systems, broadcasters must navigate a wide range of device environments, each with its own characteristics and constraints.
It is within this fragmented environment that HbbTV plays a critical role.
Grivet described HbbTV as a unifying technology for connected TV, enabling a single application to work consistently across different devices and manufacturers. This simplifies development and reduces the operational burden on broadcasters, allowing them to focus on delivering compelling services rather than managing platform complexity.
Beyond interoperability, HbbTV provides capabilities that are difficult to replicate elsewhere. These include features such as the red button experience, seamless integration with linear content and advanced advertising formats such as frame-accurate ad replacement on linear broadcast channels. Importantly, HbbTV remains an open standard, developed collaboratively by the industry.
Another key advantage is its broadcaster-centric approach. Unlike app-based ecosystems where services compete for visibility, HbbTV applications are launched directly from the linear TV experience. This gives broadcasters a natural entry point to engage audiences and creates what Grivet described as a safe zone on the TV set, where services can operate without unwanted interference from third parties.
Support from device manufacturers further strengthens this position. With broad industry backing, HbbTV provides a stable and widely adopted foundation for delivering services across the connected TV landscape.
The keynote also highlighted significant progress within the HbbTV Association itself. In 2025, the organisation reached a major milestone, with HbbTV-enabled services available in over 100 million European households. This reflects both the maturity of the standard and its growing importance within the market.
On the technical side, the publication of a DRM specification marks an important step forward, addressing a long-standing industry requirement. The upcoming HbbTV 2.0.5 specification will build on this, while work has already begun on defining future requirements for version 2.0.6.
Looking ahead, two new areas of focus stand out. The first is improving testing and conformance through real-world application-based approaches. The second is exploring the concept of all-IP HbbTV, reflecting the broader industry shift towards streaming delivery.
Together, these initiatives underline the continued evolution of the standard in response to changing market needs.
Grivet’s conclusion was clear. In a world where television is becoming more complex, fragmented and competitive, HbbTV provides a stable and unifying framework. It enables broadcasters to adapt, innovate and compete, ensuring that they remain central to the connected TV experience.
Watch the presentation and explore further
You can watch the full presentation from the HbbTV Symposium 2025 here: Watch the Video
The presentation slides are also available to download: Download the presentation
Next in the series
Discover how Turkey has become a hidden HbbTV success story, using experimentation, interactive advertising and real-world deployments to redefine viewer engagement and deliver measurable results at scale.
