HbbTV Association adds analytics category to 2026 Awards program

The inclusion of audience measurement as a standalone category underscores HbbTV's pivot from a simple interactive overlay to a critical data layer in the CTV stack. For broadcasters struggling with fragmented operating systems across smart TVs, HbbTV provides a unified framework to reclaim audience insights that were previously locked within manufacturer-owned 'walled gardens.' This transparency is essential for the scaling of addressable advertising and premium inventory valuation. As 2026 milestones approach, the industry's focus is shifting from technical interoperability to making that data actionable for advertisers. Watch for the first reports from the newly established HbbTV Audience Measurement Application Interest Group to define the specific KPIs that will dominate future ad-tech integrations.

The HbbTV standard is entering a period of significant scale, with the HbbTV Association reporting in March 2025 that the technology has reached 100 million European households. Forecasts from Dataxis indicate this figure will likely surpass 120 million by the end of 2026, representing a 50% penetration rate of total European households. This growth is largely driven by core markets including Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, where major broadcasters use the standard to power dynamic ad insertion and hybrid broadcast-broadband services.

Technically, the ecosystem is evolving via the HbbTV 2.0.5 specification, which formally integrates Digital Rights Management and WebAssembly. Per TV Technology (March 2026), these updates enable more efficient software video decoding and secure delivery of premium content across devices. Parallel to these updates, the HbbTV Association launched the Audience Measurement Group in July 2026 to focus on privacy-conscious data collection. This group aims to harmonize how broadcasters and measurement organizations use HbbTV signals to complement traditional panel-based metrics with real-time census data.

Furthermore, the synergy between HbbTV and DVB-I is intensifying. At DVB World 2026, industry leaders positioned HbbTV as the primary application layer for the rollout of DVB-I services, which are currently undergoing trials or nationwide deployments in Germany, Italy, and New Zealand. This technical alignment is intended to provide a managed transition for traditional broadcasters moving toward an IP-centric distribution model while maintaining a presence on various smart TV interfaces without building bespoke apps for every individual manufacturer operating system.