Can HbbTV save-free to-air TV?

Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) is coming to Australia, and soon, and its being seen as a potential saviour for Australia’s struggling free-to-air TV industry. Just Google ‘HbbTV AND Australia’ and read the first few entries. Hybrid set to change TV - Sydney Morning Herald; Seven to start HbbTV by May - TV Tonight; HbbTV plan for Australia - Advanced Television; HbbTV coming your way soon, marrying Internet and broadcast - Financial Review.

According to a Financial Review report on 22 July, Freeview Australia - the body representing free-to-air television broadcasters - is working with its members and TV manufacturers on a co-ordinated launch of HbbTV next year. “The Freeview board is currently finalising an industry-wide strategy to roll out the new technology,” the AFR said.

That may well be true, but Freeview is keeping very quiet about it. There is not one mention of HbbTV on its website. However the web site of the Asian Broadcasting Union quotes Freeview general manager, Liz Ross, saying: “Following soon after the completion of digital switchover across the country, HbbTV will be the next exciting innovation for the free-to-air platform and will deliver an expanded and unparalleled television experience to all Australians, for free.”

Meanwhile, in August, Channel Seven announced that it was testing live streaming of its channels to mobile devices and would launch its HbbTV service by May 2014, enabling it to offer a video on demand service as a new revenue stream. Channels Nine and Ten are also reported to be working on hybrid television plans.

The Australian in July reported Seven CEO, Tim Worner, saying that the continued rollout of the former Labor Government’s plan for a fibre to the home National Broadband Network would aid the uptake of HbbTV. "For our business it's going to be important that the velocity with that particular project is maintained, because the more homes that are connected to the NBN the more opportunities there will be for a company of our size to take advantage of it," Worner said.

According to the Financial Review, HbbTV will mean new channels delivered over the Internet, targeted advertising, additional programming and content and an interactive TV guide for planning and watching shows.

Internet delivered channels could include a sign language interpreter for the hearing impaired. However this would require precise synchronisation between free-to-air broadcast and Internet delivered channel, something that - according to a November 2012 presentation by Dr Klaus Illgner, chairman of the HbbTV Consortium - has yet to be implemented. It will also create the opportunity to buy products featured in programs – a boon for e-commerce.

HbbTV will provide excellent partnership opportunities between telcos, broadcasters and advertisers, says Eugene Razbash of CombiTel.

HbbTV will not work with today’s TVs - only those designed to support it. However, CombiTel does not see this as a showstopper and expects inexpensive (or possibly subsidised) HbbTV-compatible set-top boxes and PVRs to be readily available for the service launch.

Seven’s Tim Worner suggested that HbbTV could be the saviour of the free-to-air TV industry that is hurting from the impact of Internet delivered video programming. He was reported in The Australian saying: “I think we are at the start of a brilliant renaissance in television, and it's television's would-be murderer - the Internet - that can absolutely power it."