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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).

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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

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2. December 2020

The GenZ is not lost: Why we must “tiktokinize”​ classic television as quickly as possible

by Tobias Fröhlich

What do you estimate, on which device do people most often consume video content?

Most of you are now probably thinking about the smartphone, possibly also the tablet or even the desktop PC. But you are wrong. Because in fact, television is still in the lead. And clearly so. As a recent analysis by Park Associate shows, people in the USA consume about 20 hours of video per week on TV (as of Q1 2020), which is 39 percent more than in Q3 2017. The corona pandemic also serves as a catalyst. By comparison, mobile consumption was about five hours of video per week in the first quarter of 2020; even less than the computer with ten hours.

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And yes, the preference for television applies to Generation Z as well. For although TikTok, Instagram, and Co. are very popular with the younger generation, they too consume video content according to the motto "biggest screen possible". Our children don't necessarily want to watch all their videos on their smartphones - but often have no alternative. They lack the money for their own television set and the device in their living room is occupied by their old parents. Believe me, I have children myself and know what I am talking about 😉.

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And indeed, the GenZ sees more when we count individual contents. Many small, short videos, but the length of stay, the depth takes place in front of the 10foot device.

The televisions are smart, the content, unfortunately, remains dumb 

Mobile video consumption in Generation Z is growing by an impressive 100 percent every year. And this is due in part, but not only, to the lack of availability of a television of one's own. Because another problem is that GenZ is always looking for a personalized experience with opportunities for interaction and participation. And that is something they simply do not find on most television sets. Because although the devices are now smart in the TV segment as well, the content remains largely dumb.

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We must change this and "tiktokinize" television from the ground up.

We must ensure that viewers can find everything they need on their television sets immediately. For example, if they are watching a football match, we must give them relevance at the touch of a button: missed highlights, statistics on teams and players, information on the context of the competition. And now it becomes important: not on the 2nd screen, this must be done on the 1st screen. This is exactly what we are aiming for at TVXRAY.

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We want to make the content on a TV smart and thus prevent viewers from wandering off during the TV program, serving their own needs on an additional device. Because that is exactly the reason why our children, and often enough we ourselves as well, use smartphones during the actual TV program.

I will talk in more detail about the problem of first and second screens and how we can solve it in my next article. 

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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.

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9. November 2020

Amazon Fire TV is more widespread in Germany than Magenta TV and Android TV – but falls behind in actual use

Hamburg, November 09, 2020 -The open HbbTV standard, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Tizen are most often found in Germans' living rooms. However, when looking at actual usage, the importance of the TV platforms of Telekom, Vodafone and Sky is already apparent. Meanwhile, the hot potato of the future is the Comcast subsidiary Metrological. These are the findings of the updated reach study by TeraVolt GmbH, which the Hamburg-based company conducted with the support of a twelve-member expert panel and the Facit market research institute.

 

TV App Platforms in Germany 2019-2023

While Amazon Fire TV (4.3 million households) has the third-highest reach behind HbbTV (15.3 million) and Tizen (5.9 million), it falls behind Magenta TV (Deutsche Telekom), Metrological, Foxxum, and Android TV in terms of actual usage. In particular, Metrological, whose solutions are trusted by Sky and Vodafone, is likely to play a significant role in the German TV market.

TeraVolt, for example, forecasts that Metrological will increase its reach by 31 percent annually and climb to second place in terms of actual usage. As a result, Samsung's Tizen is slipping to fourth place, while HbbTV remains the undisputed number one.

TV apps are so relevant because people's usage behavior is constantly changing. Streaming services and TV media libraries are leading to a de-linearization that will intensify in the coming years.

"Vodafone and Sky, as well as Tele Columbus already rely on Metrological's App Store. The Comcast subsidiary will therefore grow into one of the most important platforms for TV apps in Germany and could even become more important than Tizen and Amazon Fire TV," says Tobias Künkel Managing Partner at TeraVolt, who also attributes a lot of power to Amazon, however: "Amazon is now present with its app-enabled devices in more living rooms than Telekom, Vodafone, Sky or Google. With its prime offer, Amazon offers a product that enables direct identification, data acquisition, and customer billing. These are important factors for long-term success and customer loyalty.

Background information: Last year, TeraVolt had already investigated in the first version of its reach study how many German households Amazon Fire TV, HbbTV, and Co. With the update of the study, this reach should now be put in relation to the viewers' actual usage.

You can download the entire TeraVolt reach study here.

 

Picture material:

Image 1: Platforms in the ranking according to technical reach and usage in Germany 2020 and 2023 (TeraVolt image rights)

Figure 2: Technical reach and growth rates of TV app platforms in Germany 2020 (Teravolt image rights)

 

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, TeraVolt consists of a highly experienced management team and 45 strategy, product, and technology experts.  

https://www.teravolt.tv/en/ 

 

About the reach study

The data in the study are based on meaningful secondary sources. The panel consists of 12 experts working for major private and public broadcasters, established and new TV platforms, associations, and other companies. The statements of the experts were used in particular for the interpolation of the data and the forecasts.

 

Press Contact GSA: 

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

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27. October 2020

Tagesschau app now also available on Android TVs in Germany

Hamburg, 27.10.2020. ARD's Tagesschau app is now also available on Android TV sets in Germany. Android TV users can now use the app on their TV sets. It includes current videos and programs on general or topic-specific sections as well as a live stream from the news channel tagesschau24.

Founded in 1951 and produced by NDR in Hamburg, the Tagesschau is the oldest still existing program on German television. It is by far the most important news and information program in Germany.

The implementation of the app on Android TVs was made possible by TeraVolt GmbH, an agency for digital TV products. The Hamburg-based company took the concept of the already existing tagesschau app for Apple TVs as a basis and made appropriate adjustments for Android. Users can now navigate through various videos and content while another video or live stream is running in a mini-player at the edge of the screen.

"We are proud to be able to help ARD to further distribute its content. By the end of the year, we estimate that almost two million households in Germany will be equipped with an Android smart TV. This fact gives the implementation additional relevance," comments Oliver Koch, Managing Director and co-founder at TeraVolt.

With this figure, Koch is alluding to a large-scale reach study conducted by TeraVolt. The Hamburg-based company forecasts that by 2023, around 3.8 million households will be equipped with Android TV.

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