EBU Members Offered Free Applications to 'Fast-Track' Launch of Hybrid TV

The EBU will host a Creative Content Workshop on Friday 3rd February at its Geneva headquarters

European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Members will be offered  generic applications to deploy Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) during the Olympics and the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), when audiences peak.

Three 'white label' interactive applications will be provided free to participating EBU Members to customise generic content for entertainment, news or sport.

The applications from EBU members ARD/IRT and commercial partners DOTSCREEN and Abertis Telecom will provide a basic level of hybrid interactivity to promote the adoption of HbbTV, which combines traditional viewing with the added value of the Internet and smart device applications.

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Through the adoption of HbbTV, consumers will be able to access new services from online providers including catch-up TV, video on demand (VoD), interactive advertising, personalisation, voting, games and social networking, as well as programme-related services such as digital text and Electronic Programme Guides (EPG).

EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre says: "More than 20 EBU members The Members of this initiative are ARMTV (Armenia), ORF (Austria), RTBF (Belgium), HRT (Croatia), CyBC (Cyrus), Czech TV (Czech Republic), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), France Televisions, ARD & ZDF (Germany), MTV Magyar Radio (Hungary), RTE (Ireland), RAI (Italy), Radiotelevizija Crne Gore (Montenegro), OMROEP (Netherlands), NRK (Norway), TVP (Poland), TVR (Romania), Rozhlas (Slovakia), RTVSLO (Slovenia), RTVE (Spain), TRT (Turkey), NTU (Ukraine) have agreed to collaborate to unlock the full potential of Hybrid TV for a European rollout of the technology in 2012. Underlying this co-operation is the shared conviction that only high quality creative content can breathe life into the promise of hybrid technology - and only a flexible, cross-border approach will make it happen quickly."

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The EBU will host a Creative Content Workshop on Friday 3rd February at its Geneva headquarters to enable EBU members to share experiences and ideas for hybrid applications.  During the event, members will agree common approaches to issues relating to the deployment of successful hybrid TV services, such as colour-coded buttons and a common market for hybrid television applications.

To learn more about the EBU position on hybrid TV systems please visit:
http://www.ebu.ch/en/union/under_banners/Hybrid.php?display=EN

To access the Creative Content Workshop programme please visit: 
http://www.ebu.ch/CMSimages/en/Meetingwith_CreativeContent_Interactivity_EN_tcm6-73272.pdf

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About the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
The EBU serves 85 national media organizations in 56 countries in and around Europe. It represents its Members and promotes the values and distinctiveness of public service media in Europe and around the world. The Eurovision and Euroradio networks deliver news, sports, events and music to EBU Members and other media organizations. Services to Members range from legal advice, technical standardization and development to coproduction and exchange of quality European content.