Published:  12.12.2018

Autumn 2018 offered a
record-breaking number of hybrid TV services as part of popular TV formats.
Digita is continually working with media companies to develop hybrid TV
services that will enrich the viewer experience at the touch of a remote
button.

The first hybrid TV service was created a year ago with Sanoma, for
Idols voting. The first hybrid TV content with MTV was Kingi last spring. The
popularity of hybrid TV services surprised both Digita and the channels. The
votes cast via hybrid TV had a significant impact on the results.

The natural next step was to make hybrid TV
services part of popular formats on a larger scale. This autumn, hybrid TV
viewers have been able to vote for their favourites in Putous, Idols, and
Dancing with the Stars. Jahti and Love Island Finland also have a hybrid
application. Hybrid TV additional services have enriched our programme
partners’ brand visibility with tactical components, such as prize draws and
brand animations.

So it seems that hybrid TV is here to stay as a voting channel. “The
popularity of hybrid TV voting stems from the simple and easy way it works in
conjunction with programmes. Voting is easy when you can vote for your
favourite free of charge with only the touch of a remote button and no need for
any other devices or apps. This is why hybrid TV is an extremely popular voting
channel and has a significant impact on results. The click rate for hybrid TV
additional services has reached up to 60 per cent,” says Teppo Ahonen, Director, Video Platform Solutions at Digita.

“The interactivity that we’ve seen via hybrid services to date is only
just the beginning. In practice, our imagination is the only limit on how we
can harness this technology in our programmes. Media and production companies
have been extremely interested in this new dimension to TV viewing, including
the data it generates,” says Ahonen. “It’s clear that we’re going to see even more
diverse applications in the future,” he promises.

Hybrid services are
already available via all free channels

As hybrid TV services are offered as part of TV channels, their
availability varies by channel. Almost all channels currently provide at least
a hybrid TV programme guide, while YLE, MTV, Sanoma and AlfaTV also provide
additional services, such as Web-TV services. Channels also offer
programme-related services whose availability varies according to the
broadcasting seasons of the programmes in question.

Hybrid TV services are currently available in Digita’s terrestrial
television network and Telia Cable TV. Other cable companies have so far
stripped these services out of TV channels prior to distribution. An estimated
400,000 Finnish homes are currently equipped with hybrid television receivers.
This figure has more than doubled during the past year, and growth is expected
to continue at the same rate over the next few years.
All of the smart TVs sold in Finland by major device manufacturers support
hybrid TV, and Samsung has also announced that its 2018 models will support
HbbTV services.

Hybrid TV content is listed daily on the hybriditv.fi website: https://hybriditv.fi/

Digita/Communications