What Is Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) Advertising and How Does It Work?
Programmatic advertising has already transformed web and in-app mobile channels. Now it is making its way into connected TV (CTV) — and much of that infrastructure runs on hybrid broadcast broadband TV (HbbTV). This guide explains what HbbTV is, how ad delivery works within the standard, what formats are available, and what targeting capabilities advertisers can expect.
What Is Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV?
Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) is a combination of broadcast TV and broadband Internet designed to deliver an enhanced viewing experience. It offers additional services and content that viewers access through a connected TV (smart TV) using their remote control. The prompt to launch an HbbTV application typically appears as a red dot in the corner of the screen. HbbTV applications are also accessible via game consoles, over-the-top (OTT) streaming devices, and set-top boxes.
The HbbTV Association — consisting of broadcasters, Internet and technology companies, and device manufacturers — creates and maintains the HbbTV standard to ensure compatibility across different devices and TV networks.
In the image above, the viewer accesses additional content by pressing the red button on their TV remote.
HbbTV applications use the Internet to display content such as high-resolution images and text, along with various mechanisms for audience interaction. Viewers can access program guides, complete quizzes, read song lyrics, and retrieve extra information with a single button press on the remote.
HbbTV content, including ads, can be either related to or independent from a broadcast and can transition between these modes. For advertisers, this means ads can be displayed in reference to a specific program or separately from any program or channel entirely.
An example of an overlay ad displayed on top of video content.
Because of the HbbTV standard, viewers interact with ads using a single button press on the remote control — a simple mechanism that creates precise targeting opportunities and holds audience attention longer than a passive broadcast ad.
Share of HbbTV smart TV sets with and without an Internet connection (in thousands) — HbbTV Milestones
A Brief History
In 2006, the IRT research institute presented a concept for using pure HTML on endpoints to display additional content alongside broadcast TV. In 2008, Berlin hosted the first public demo of that concept. A year later, an official working group formed to develop a formal specification for content delivery to connected TVs and Internet-connected set-top boxes.
In June 2010, the European standards body ETSI approved version 1.1.1 of the HbbTV specification. The standard spread quickly — adopted across several European countries as well as many markets in the Middle East. Ongoing symposia, new specification releases, and joint collaboration with organizations like the Smart TV Alliance continued to improve application performance and quality.
In 2020, the HbbTV Association released the Targeted Advertising Specification (HbbTV-TA), introducing new advertising business models and more precise targeting methods.
Today, the HbbTV Association has over 75 members. Its stated purpose is to deliver entertainment services to consumers under a harmonized standard while managing all related technical considerations.
How HbbTV Advertising Works
Ad applications built to the HbbTV standard are created using web technologies: HTML, CSS, Media Source Extensions (MSE), Encrypted Media Extensions (EME), and the Timed Text Markup Language (TTML). Each application has its own URL, typically hosted on cloud servers.
A simplified schema of delivering an HbbTV application
Information about the application's URL is carried in an Application Information Table (AIT) or a watermark, and received via the broadcast signal. The TV reads the signal and communicates with the relevant servers to access the application URL.
A more granular view of the communication between servers and TV devices to display an advertisement via the HbbTV standard
Depending on the device, three Application Discovery methods exist for locating HbbTV applications.
Summary of Application Discovery Methods
The process of delivering an ad can be broken into the following steps:
- The broadcaster application launches according to the "Application Discovery over Broadband" method.
- The broadcaster sends a message to the app announcing that an ad placement opportunity is approaching.
- The app confirms that the terminal can safely replace ads.
- The app requests an ad from the ad-decisioning server (e.g., an ad server).
- The app preloads the ad.
- The app signals the TV when to switch from HDMI to the ad.
- The app manages delivery of the ad.
- The app reports back on ad playback.
- The app switches back from the ad to HDMI.
What Is Needed to Display an Ad
To display ads via HbbTV, there are two practical routes: use software provided by an ad technology company that operates a digital ad network, or build and operate the capability independently.
For the self-build route, the following components are required:
- A watermark provided to the broadcaster so the TV can run the application, registered to redirect traffic to the application.
- An application that listens to the stream, reacts to ad placement opportunities, and sends ad requests to an ad server — displaying the ad upon receiving a valid ad response.
- An AdTech stack capable of serving the ad — which could be a simple ad server, a supply-side platform (SSP), or an ad exchange, depending on the business model.
Typically, an icon appears on screen notifying the viewer that extra HbbTV content is available, either complementing an ad or the TV program being watched. Pressing a button on the remote launches the application. Integrating HbbTV ads into broadcast signals requires the broadcaster to include markers indicating ad breaks; the digital ad server then controls programmatic display of ads within those breaks.
Common HbbTV Ad Formats
HbbTV advertising campaigns can present ad content to viewers in a range of formats. Common formats include:
L-shaped ads: Ads shaped like the letter "L" occupy a large portion of the screen to display text and images.
Banners: Information boxes (square or rectangular) displayed typically in the lower-right corner of the screen. Banners were the first format of programmatic ads on HbbTV. Depending on size, a banner can take up to 25% of the screen area, shifting the viewer's focus from the program to the displayed ad.
Video overlay ads: A video ad plays on top of live video content. A single click can take viewers to an interactive destination — for example, Volvo released a video with an overlay that directed viewers to a form to book a test drive.
Switchrolls: A video ad plays automatically when a viewer switches between channels.
Benefits of HbbTV Advertising
Advertisers running HbbTV campaigns gain several meaningful capabilities beyond what traditional broadcast advertising offers:
Household profile building: Because an Internet-connected TV can be identified via its IP address, advertisers can deliver dynamic ad substitution (DAS) and show more personalized ads to specific households.
Lead generation campaigns: Campaigns can be directly tailored to a household's interests and preferences, enabling measurable response-driven advertising on TV.
Data-driven insights: Every campaign generates a report identifying strengths and weaknesses, providing actionable performance data.
Channel- and program-based targeting: An advertiser can create a complementary offering for a specific channel or TV program. For example, a travel brand can serve ads on channels focused on travel content.
HbbTV Advertising from the Viewer's Perspective
The viewer experience varies depending on the ad format. Some viewers encounter HbbTV ads much as they would traditional broadcast ads — a video ad appearing during a commercial break. Other formats, such as overlays, invite active interaction.
For most interactive ads, viewers see a call-to-action prompt in the corner of the screen while watching a program. Using the remote control, they can interact by pressing a designated button and then navigate the ad's functionality through additional remote presses. This can include completing quizzes, playing a game, filling in a form, or exploring more information about an advertiser's offer.
Advertising Opportunities HbbTV Supports
Advertising via HbbTV closely parallels Internet advertising: interactive ads can be delivered at precisely timed moments to a targeted audience based on known data. Ad administration systems within HbbTV can optimize campaigns and serve ad content relevant to viewer preferences.
Using the HbbTV standard, advertisers can:
- Use the medium that best showcases their product or service.
- Reach a defined target audience.
- Display both text and audiovisual information.
- Enable purchases through an in-app form.
- Allow direct voting within the TV application.
Interactive ad formats enable advertisers to present products and services through a variety of templates. Advertisers can collect a phone number or email address, display product descriptions, video, and photo galleries, and even allow viewers to customize offer parameters to their own preferences.
Advertising options in HbbTV are comparable to those available in other digital channels such as display and in-app:
- Direct sales campaigns
- Programmatic campaigns
- GEO targeting
- Premium targeting
- Remarketing
- Automatic data reporting
Summary
The HbbTV standard has been evolving since its ETSI approval in 2010, with over 75 organizations now active in the HbbTV Association working to improve application quality, performance, and advertising capabilities. Viewers typically activate HbbTV applications by pressing the red button or OK button on the remote control. The most common ad formats are rectangular and square banners, L-shaped banners, overlay ads, and switchrolls — all capable of delivering interactive experiences tied to channel or program context.
Displaying HbbTV ads requires three core ingredients: a broadcaster embedding the application signal, a TV connected to the Internet, and an advertiser using an appropriate ad technology stack. Ads are then delivered to households based on predefined campaign criteria, identified via IP address for dynamic ad substitution and personalized messaging.
The HbbTV Targeted Advertising Specification continues to evolve, with newer versions expanding available advertising capabilities — including more sophisticated dynamic ad substitution — which will continue to push HbbTV advertising forward as a serious programmatic channel.