HbbTV Archive - TeraVolt

2. September 2021

German TV Station WDR now Uses TeraVolt’s SmartPages for its “Sendung mit der Maus”-HbbTV-App

TeraVolt is now hosting the HbbTV app used by the children’s series "Sendung mit der Maus" / WDR integrates SmartPages as a system for format extension.

Hamburg, September 2^nd, 2021 - German TV station WDR now uses TeraVolt's operating system SmartPages to maintain its HbbTV application for the "Sendung mit der Maus" (=” The Show with the Mouse”). This is a very popular German TV program for kids, which utilizes a concept similar to Sesame Street. Since 1971, it is being produced by WDR, which is part of ARD, a joint, public tv network that covers all of Germany.

With the “Maus”-app, viewers have access to all mouse and elephant related content (whether in the form of video or audio) on their own smart TVs. WDR had launched the app in April 2020 and has now made a system update.

In this context, TeraVolt was able to impress the responsible parties with its SmartPages product. SmartPages is an all-in-one solution for the creation, production and display of interactive accompanying formats for TV programs. Some of TeraVolt's customers already use the product to manage their advertising campaigns. However, WDR is now the first customer to book SmartPages as a pure client system, i.e. exclusively for accompanying formats.

"We are very pleased to support the “Sendung mit der Maus”, a tradition in the German television industry, in the area of HbbTV. This is a real milestone for our SmartPages product and a prestigious stage on which we can show how powerful the system is," says Oliver Koch, Managing Partner and co-founder of TeraVolt. "It makes us proud that WDR has expressed its confidence in us for this task."

+++

Visuals:

Portrait Oliver Koch (Credit: TeraVolt)

Maus-App Visual #1 (Credit: WDR)

Maus-App Visual #2 (Credit: WDR)

About TeraVolt:

TeraVolt GmbH is an owner-managed agency for enhanced TV, based in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 2006, TeraVolt specializes in the development of pioneering digital TV experiences. The agency provides its customers with tailor-made solutions, from market-specific consultation to the creation and technical implementation of innovative products. Its product portfolio includes services, consultation and applications in the areas of Managed Platforms, Enhanced TV, Monetization and OTT. With a headquarter based in Hamburg’s beloved Schanzenviertel, TeraVolt consists of a highly experienced management team and 45 strategy, product and technology experts. https://www.teravolt.tv/en/

Press contact DACH:

Agentur Frau Wenk +++ GmbH
Tel. +49 (0)40 32 90 47 38-0
Mail: Teravolt@frauwenk.de

31. May 2021

TV Platforms with App Support – Differences between the German and Swiss Market

In October, we analyzed how many households in Germany own a TV device on which TV apps can be used. Today, we look to the south and compare this with the Swiss market. This is apparently very similar to the German market, but a closer look reveals exciting differences.

Diagram: Percentage of TV-HH with App-enabled TV Device

Proportion of TV households in Germany and Switzerland that do not have a TV end device that supports TV applications.

This starts with the fact that TVs with Internet connectivity have gained market share faster in Switzerland than in Germany. More than 20% of Swiss TV households already had a "smart" TV set at the beginning of 2011, two years earlier than in Germany. And the Swiss have bought these devices with more enthusiasm: in 2018, more than 80% already had an Internet-enabled TV set; mathematically, this figure will not be reached in Germany until 2024.

TV Households with App-enabled Operator STB Switzerland/Germany (%)

Proportion of TV households in Germany and Switzerland that have a set-top box from a TV platform that supports TV applications and is connected to the Internet.

The decisive factor for these differences: in Switzerland, the large TV providers Swisscom and UPC/sunrise dominate. The costs for TV reception are comparatively high in the neighboring country, but for many years customers have also received powerful set-top boxes with high-quality software that also supports TV apps. While the current generations of Magenta TV and Giga TV devices can be found in around 20% of TV households in Germany, over 70% of TV households in Switzerland have a current product from the TV platforms.

Smart TV platforms are correspondingly less important in Switzerland. Although Samsung's Tizen dominates even more clearly here, the use is significantly lower due to the importance of the operator platforms described above.

TV Houoseholds with connected Fire TV device Switzerland/Germany(%)

Proportion of TV households in Germany and Switzerland that have a Fire TV device connected to the Internet.

Perhaps this is also the reason why Amazon hardly offers its Fire TV product, which is very successful in Germany, in Switzerland and only to a limited extent. While these are one of the most important platforms for app providers in Germany, they are irrelevant in Switzerland.

TV Households with connected HbbTV Device Switzerland/Germany (%)

Proportion of TV households in Germany and Switzerland that have a smart TV with HbbTV support that is connected to the Internet.

Another difference to the German market is the importance of the HbbTV standard. In Germany, this is one of the most important ways for many broadcasters to reach viewers in their living rooms, also because many households do not have a set-top box that supports TV apps. The great popularity of precisely these platforms, as well as a different media law framework, means that only a few users take advantage of HbbTV offers. This is despite the fact that the technical penetration of the standard is significantly higher than in neighboring countries.

It is therefore clear that providers of TV apps should analyze their target markets as precisely as possible before making investment decisions. In our analysis of the German market, we showed how critical cooperation with TV platform providers is for success. In Switzerland, this is even more true: if you want to make new offers successful on the big screen, you cannot get around Swisscom and UPC/sunrise.

Technical Reach of TV Platforms with App Support in Switzerland.

Technical reach of the various platforms for TV applications in Switzerland (TV households with at least one compatible end device connected to the Internet).

+++

About TeraVolt:

TeraVolt GmbH is an owner-managed agency for enhanced TV, based in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 2006, TeraVolt specializes in the development of pioneering digital TV experiences. The agency provides its customers with tailor-made solutions, from market-specific consultation to the creation and technical implementation of innovative products. Its product portfolio includes services, consultation and applications in the areas of Managed Platforms, Enhanced TV, Monetization and OTT. With a headquarter based in Hamburg’s beloved Schanzenviertel, TeraVolt consists of a highly experienced management team and 45 strategy, product and technology experts. https://www.teravolt.tv/en/

Press contact DACH:

Agentur Frau Wenk +++ GmbH
Tel. +49 (0)40 32 90 47 38-0
Mail: Teravolt@frauwenk.de

26. May 2021

For the European Football Championship: TeraVolt develops interactive app for Vestel TVs

Hamburg, May 25th 2021

Multi-brand TV manufacturer Vestel has announced the launch of a new app that will allow soccer fans across Europe to immerse themselves in every major match and tournament, including the upcoming European Championship. The Football Corner app was developed in collaboration with agency and app developerTeraVolt and its AI-driven product TVXRAY, and is available now on all smart TVs manufactured by Vestel, including those for brands such as Toshiba, Hitachi, JVC, and Telefunken. The app is a particularly convenient and interactive companion to watching soccer, offering a filtered electronic program guide for up to seven days in advance, as well as real-time updates, insights, and statistics on matches and tournaments.

TeraVolt GmbH, which built this OTT experience based on its TVXRAY product, is responsible for the concept, implementation, and maintenance of the app.

The app will be available on about 10 million Vestel devices in 55 countries. TeraVolt's goal is to improve the user experience on the TV as first-screen in such a way that the second-screen (usually the smartphone) becomes superfluous. Viewers can call up a wealth of additional information on the current match, the individual team performances, and the groups at any time in the app, giving them a better overview. An approach with which the TeraVolt managers were able to fully convince Vestel.

"I am very proud that Vestel was so taken with our TVXRAY product. Now we have the chance to offer soccer fans all over Europe an all-around successful gaming experience with our app," says Tobias Künkel, Managing Partner at TeraVolt, who is leading the project.

Tobias Fröhlich, Co-Founder and Managing Director at TeraVolt, adds, "The concept of the second screen is outdated. We firmly believe that all the information and details viewers might want should always be available on the first screen. And smart TVs are ideally suited to meet these requirements and make the second screen obsolete."

"The timing for the launch of the app, just before a major tournament, couldn't be better," said Barış Altınkaya, Deputy General Manager of Marketing and Product Management, Vestel. "With this app, soccer fans no longer have to worry about missing even a second of live sporting action. The interactive match guide makes it easy to keep track of all the games, while real-time information and statistics help immerse you in the tournament action. With our latest 43", 48", 50", 55", 65" and 75" frameless big-screen TVs, everyone at home can also watch the latest soccer analysis on the big screen."

About TeraVolt

TeraVolt GmbH is an owner-managed agency for enhanced TV, based in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 2006, TeraVolt specializes in the development of pioneering digital TV experiences. The agency provides its customers with tailor-made solutions, from market-specific consultation to the creation and technical implementation of innovative products. Its product portfolio includes services, consultation and applications in the areas of Managed Platforms, Enhanced TV, Monetization, and OTT. TVXRAY is a new product that provides interactive TV in a live broadcast OTT environment.

With a headquarter based in Hamburg, TeraVolt consists of a highly experienced management team and 45 strategy, product and technology experts.

https://www.teravolt.tv/en/

About Vestel

Comprised of 28 companies, Vestel Group is a multi-industry manufacturer that operates in consumer electronics, home appliances, professional displays, LED lighting, and EV Chargers. Testimony to the global importance of Zorlu Holding across multiple technology sectors, Vestel is not oly thriving at home in Turkey, but also through a further 10 subsidiaries that have been set up in various other parts of the world. Thanks to its renowned manufacturing and R&D complex, Vestel exports to 157 countries and keeps its position as a global player.

More information: www.vestelinternational.com

19. November 2020

TeraVolt wins ZDF budget for further development of TV media library

Hamburg, August 19, 2020 - ZDF awards the budget for the technical development of its HbbTV and Smart TV media library to TeraVolt. The Hamburg-based agency for digital TV products has thus prevailed in a Europe-wide tender.

TeraVolt is to optimize the ZDF Mediathek primarily for HbbTV and Smart TV portals and selected platforms such as MagentaTV (Telekom) or Sky. Continuous further development is also necessary because ZDF has gained more and more users via smart TVs in recent years.

"ZDF plays in the premier league of German television, and we are proud to now be part of the team ourselves," says Tobias Fröhlich, founder and CEO of TeraVolt. "We are looking forward to this exciting task and the new challenges. At ZDF, we see many opportunities to drive further innovation and the dovetailing of linear television and video-on-demand."

The ZDFmediathek offers content from the main ZDF program, the digital channels ZDFneo and ZDFinfo, the children's program ZDFtivi and selected partners such as 3Sat and funk. In addition, the Mediathek offers an extensive live streaming service and the latest "heute" news.

About TeraVolt

TeraVolt GmbH is an owner-managed agency for Enhanced TV based in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 2006, TeraVolt specializes in the development of forward-looking digital TV experiences. The agency offers its clients customized solutions, from market-specific consulting to the creation and technical implementation of innovative products. The product portfolio includes services, consulting and applications in the areas of Managed Platforms, Enhanced TV, Monetization and OTT. TeraVolt is headquartered in Hamburg and consists of an experienced management team and 45 strategy, product and technology experts.

29. September 2020

Preview of the New Whitepaper: “TV App Platforms in Germany”

Which Smart TVs are most often found in German living rooms? What about the use of HbbTV offers? And which platforms are best suited to reach viewers? Our new whitepaper addresses these and many other questions.

Even before this whitepaper is published at the end of October, our partner Tobias Künkel would like to share some of the most important insights and learnings with you - face to face in a series of videos that you can find below. With this in mind, have fun binge watching the first TeraVolt Original series 😉.

Announcement

So excited: We did a refresh of our study “TV Platforms in Germany” with new and exclusive insights. Sounds interesting?

Follow TeraVolt GmbH or me here on LinkedIn to get previews and key findings in the next weeks:
- German operator platforms and how they build TV apps
- HbbTV as the “King of Reach”
- Smart TV platforms and hidden champions
- 4 major US players in German living rooms
…and more.

Register for our webinar on Oct. 29th and receive the whitepaper: https://mailchi.mp/teravolt/platformreach

Insight 1/4: Managed Platforms

Every second German household uses a cable- or IPTV platform for linear TV consumption. So Vodafone, Sky and Deutsche Telekom are highly attractive partners to provide TV applications. And they have only just begun to leverage the potential of TV apps - exciting times ahead!

Here is the first of four videos with key insights from our white paper "TV App platforms in Germany 2020". Register for our webinar and white paper: https://mailchi.mp/teravolt/platformreach

Insight 2/4: Smart TV Platforms

2 of 3 households own a Smart TV, a great way to maximize the reach of your video service. You are probably aware that Samsung is the market leader, but would you have guessed who has the second highest technical reach in Germany? Find out at 1:50 of this video.

This is the second of four videos with key insights from our white paper "TV App platforms in Germany 2020". Register for our webinar and white paper: https://mailchi.mp/teravolt/platformreach

Insight 3/4: HbbTV

TV App platforms are provided and controlled by companies like Google, Samsung or Amazon. But if you are a broadcaster then HbbTV is another option to reach every second German TV household: an open standard without any platform gatekeepers.

Insight 4/4: OTT Sticks

Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV are great options to turn any screen into a Smart TV for little money. But how important are they for TV app providers, compared to Smart TVs or operator platforms?

This is the last teaser for our white paper "TV App platforms in Germany 2020". Follow me or TeraVolt GmbH if you like to learn more and register for our webinar and white paper: https://mailchi.mp/teravolt/platformreach