GENEVA—The HbbTV Association, a global initiative dedicated to providing open standards for advanced interactive TV services via broadcast and broadband networks, has published version 2.0.5 of its core specification.

HbbTV 2.0.5 is an update to HbbTV 2.0.4, published two years ago, and represents a significant technical advancement for hybrid and interactive television services. The update was approved at the latest meeting of the HbbTV Steering Group.

“HbbTV 2.0.5 represents an important step forward in the evolution of hybrid TV services,” said Vincent Grivet, chair of the HbbTV Association. “With formalized DRM, support for next-generation codecs such as AV1 and VVC, enhanced DVB-I integration, and WebAssembly capabilities, the specification aligns to the most recent and impacting market trends, enabling more sophisticated, secure and feature-rich services. It demonstrates HbbTV’s continued commitment to advancing the connected TV ecosystem for broadcasters, platform operators, content owners and viewers alike.”

The most notable change is the formal integration of Digital Rights Management (DRM) into the core specification.

While HbbTV devices have supported DRM for many years, this is the first time it has been explicitly defined, providing a harmonized, interoperable approach across the ecosystem. Support for at least one of the DRM systems listed in the HbbTV DRM specification published six months ago – Microsoft PlayReady or Google Widevine – is required.

This formalization is essential for enabling secure delivery of premium content and meeting the requirements of broadcasters, platform operators, rights holders, and content owners, ensuring a compelling experience for viewers.

WebAssembly support, already present to some extent in HbbTV devices via browser engines such as Chrome or WebKit, is now formally included in the specification. This allows advanced features such as efficient decoding of auxiliary video streams, including sign language services demonstrated by Catalan public broadcaster 3Cat at trade shows IBC 2025 and HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2025.

Additional web security measures have been incorporated, and support for the VVC and AV1 video codecs has been defined, although implementation of these codecs is optional. Several simplifications for implementers have also been introduced: unused features have been removed, others marked for deprecation, and some requirements relaxed to improve interoperability.

The integration between HbbTV and DVB-I introduced in HbbTV 2.0.4 is further improved in 2.0.5. The specification now clarifies how DVB-I applications associated with entire service lists can be supported, enabling platforms or service aggregators to obtain GDPR consent or agreement to terms and conditions. Implementation feedback, particularly regarding HbbTV and DVB-I integration, has resulted in numerous technical corrections being included.

The HbbTV Association plans to issue a Request for Proposals (RfP) in the coming weeks to extend its Conformance Test Suite to support HbbTV 2.0.5.

The HbbTV 2.0.5 specification and an associated explainer document are now available in the HbbTV Resource Library.

Let’s make it clear: Pay TV is not going anywhere soon. But as TV manufacturers strive to put all available services in one place, viewers are less inclined to want to manage yet another piece of hardware. A set-top box (STB) becomes just another tree in the technological jungle of cables, boxes and multiple remote controls. Moreover, it is very expensive for operators to subsidize and carry the costs associated with STBs. Eventually, the old way of paying back the extensive costs of STBs will be obsolete.

Rather than spelling doom for the pay-TV industry, this change in subscribers’ needs presents an opportunity to follow an entirely new and scalable path for operators. In fact, pay-TV operators are in the prime position to become super aggregators themselves, removing the need for any external devices. By taking ownership of the smart TV, they can maximize capex savings, cut the competition short, and vastly improve the subscriber experience. 

To begin, this article will outline why other solutions—like TV apps—are just intermediate steps or compromises with significant limitations. Then, it will explain how an operator-branded TV can put pay-TV operators back in control and on an accelerated path for growth.

The Constraints of TV Apps
An alternative to the STB is developing an app that viewers can download to their smart TVs and, with a subscription, begin watching content immediately. Obviously, this means neither the viewer nor the operator will need any additional hardware, in turn causing little operational and financial stress for both parties. TV apps may seem like an easy win, and for some operators, they are.

Yet this choice replaces a hardware problem with a competition problem. Whenever the viewer turns on the TV screen, this newly created app competes with an array of other downloaded apps, including other streaming platforms. Effectively, the app undermines the unified entertainment experience that pay TV uniquely provides.

 Because they don’t have access to the whole device and can’t control the overall experience, operators cannot aggregate other OTT apps and TV channels within their smart TV app. Even if the app appears to be on the same surface level as the other apps, which is not guaranteed, viewers may decide it’s one subscription too many, and they may eventually cancel.

An additional drawback of TV apps is that they have to take into account the business constraints imposed by the provider of the underlying platform OS. This may involve having to share revenue and negotiate for home page placement. At the same time, the operator only gets a limited view of subscribers’ viewing habits, data that is vital for service and revenue optimization.

While seeming straightforward at first, this option may not provide a great return on investment for the pay-TV service—especially since the operator has replaced the cost of STBs with a weaker value proposition.

OpApps: A Better but Limited Solution
An HbbTV OpApp offers an alternative to smart TV apps. HbbTV (Hybrid broadcast broadband TV) is both an open industry standard and an initiative to promote the mixture of broadcast and broadband services on TV. The HbbTV Association initially developed the OpApp (Operator Application) specification in response to industry demands for a way to deliver pay TV to existing TV devices without the need for an additional STB. The first commercial OpApp launched on a TV set in 2019, and was followed by additional deployments, mainly in Europe. 

HbbTV has defined a Privileged OpApp variant that functions like a special, more powerful application, allowing the operator to take over some key parts of the TV system user interface, typically the linear TV channel list, the guide, and potentially an on-demand and search portal linked to those. 

Privileged OpApps run independently of smart TV apps and are either embedded in the TV (with help from the TV manufacturer) or installed onto the system during first time setup, or afterward via a decryption device, such as a Common Interface module. Once they’re loaded, Privileged OpApps allow operators to establish their user experience, with viewers accessing the operator UI every time they use the TV.

Unfortunately, there are a few major problems with this option. HbbTV has not yet been deployed in all countries, particularly in some parts of Europe and the United States, yet it is required to run OpApps. This fact discourages the idea of Privileged OpApps as a universal solution for pay-TV operators, at least for the time being. 

Additionally, Privileged OpApps can lack features that would otherwise be available on a dedicated STB, depending on the variant of OpApp the operator chooses and the level of collaboration with the TV manufacturer.

This may not mean much for consumers, who are happy to forgo all the extra hardware if it means they can still have an STB-like experience. But for the pay-TV operator, OpApps put them at a technical disadvantage, as there may still be parts of the TV experience that they can’t control.

The All-Around Best Solution: Operator-Branded TVs
Pay-TV operators have a well-respected brand and can work with a manufacturer to build their own branded TVs, selling them directly or through retail without taking on the liability of subsidizing a TV product for existing and new customers. This approach gives operators complete control over the specifications and the system UI, while in turn offering all the standard features that subscribers look for in a TV. 

A branded TV also puts the operator in a position to access the revenue streams that TV OS providers are increasingly able to extract owing to their gateway position in the home. To set the branded TV further apart from the competition, operators can  then offer an incentive at the time of purchase, such as a free subscription for the first few months, or a mobile phone bundle in the case of multiplay providers. 

While the concept of an operator-branded TV is nothing new, technology has advanced far enough in the last few years to make the venture financially attractive. Off-the-shelf TV ODM hardware provides a better economy of scale compared with STBs, and yet the device still retains all the features—including device management and performance monitoring that operators rely on to maintain the highest levels of quality of service—without making the subscriber wait to receive another piece of hardware in the mail. Plus, the device is already built around the pay-TV service, so the UI is not only easy for the subscriber to use but also provides exclusive access.

In the future, there will be even more options for operator-branded TVs. Direct retail sales of branded TVs will allow operators to make a margin on selling hardware. Operators can compete with other smart TVs by offering a compelling product that aggregates video services (i.e., linear, OTT, VOD) in a more consistent way than smart TV manufacturers alone can do. 

An operator-branded TV is appealing to many consumers looking for a smart TV that is easy-to-use, with a good quality-to-price ratio and all the services they want already built-in. The majority of consumers don’t want to investigate complex technical specifications and compare all the smart TV brands, hardware models, and special offers available on retail shelves. This need for simplicity is one that only an operator-branded TV can satisfy.

In Conclusion
Operator-branded TVs give pay-TV services more prominence than an app and more control than a Privileged OpApp. They also do away with the extra hardware of a STB while providing potential for cross promotion of products and services using the capabilities of the UI, and offering new sources of revenue from retail purchases, rentals, and subscriptions bundles. 

With an operator-branded TV, pay-TV operators can seize control of the smart TV experience and become super aggregators, driving new subscriber growth and boosting revenues without bearing the cost of additional STB hardware.

MILAN—With ATSC 3.0 preparing to launch in the U.S. in the next year, Fincons Group, an IT business consultancy based in Italy, has published a white paper that highlights some of the Next Gen TV features and what lessons European broadcasters could take from them in the eventual updating of the existing Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) and future marketplace demands.

While Fincons notes that the U.S. had used HbbTV as a model for the development of ATSC 3.0, it now says that things have flipped as a number of systems in Europe have become outdated and are in need of an overhaul to keep pace with evolving technologies and to support innovation.

Topics covered in Fincons white paper include the importance of user experience and keeping up with consumer expectations; how to unlock the addressable advertising potential of Hybrid TV; AI powered OTT advertising; the impact of second screen advertising; and how to balance content and advertising.

“It is clear that next generation connected TV technology has come full circle and Europe needs to tackle new developments,” said Oliver Botti, head of international business development and innovations at Fincons Group. “European broadcasters can’t risk falling behind their U.S. competitors, meaning the time is now for savvy broadcasters to invest in developing their platforms and improving user experience to stay ahead of the curve in the European marketplace.”

The whitepaper, titled “After Laying the Foundations for Hybrid TV in the USA, European Broadcasters Can Now Benefit From Further Impulse Coming From USA ATSC 3.0.,” can be downloaded here.

For a comprehensive source of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see ourATSC3 silo.

SAN DIEGO and MILAN, ITALY—Verance Corp. has partnered with Fincons Group, an expert in deployment of Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) to advance the development of Next Gen TV in the United States and Europe, Verance said today.

Together the companies will combine Fincons’ expertise deploying HbbTV applications with Verance’s Aspect watermarking technology.

“We are pleased to partner with Fincons Group to provide programmers and manufacturers with additional tools and technologies that help them realize the benefits of Next Gen TV as quickly as possible” said Nil Shah, CEO of Verance.

Out of the gates, the companies will focus their efforts on accelerating ATSC 3.0/Next-Gen TV readiness in the United States and HbbTV in Europe. Projects include identifying and developing consumer offerings, business models and proof of concept and market trial management.

“The convergence of broadcast and broadband enables novel strategies and new revenue streams within the traditional TV space,” said Francesco Moretti, Deputy CEO at Fincons. “We look forward to partnering with Verance to apply our HbbTV experience to the ATSC environment in the U.S. and include the Aspect watermark into our portfolio for the European market.”

More information is available on the Verance and Fincons Group website.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.