SmartTV 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 TV show "Sendung mit der Maus" (”The Mouse-Show”). This is a very popular German TV program for kids that utilizes a concept similar to Sesame Street. Since 1971, it has been 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 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."

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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/

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 German and Swiss TV households 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 German and Swiss TV households 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, its 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 German and Swiss TV households that have a Fire TV device connected to the Internet.

Perhaps this is also the reason why Amazon offers its highly successful FireTV product in Germany only sparingly and with limitations in Switzerland. While it is one of the most important platforms for app providers in Germany, it is irrelevant in Switzerland.

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

Proportion of German and Swiss TV households that have a smart TV with HbbTV support that is connected to the Internet.

Another difference from 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, especially 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 what 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/

26. May 2021

For the European Football Championship: TeraVolt developed an 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 developer TeraVolt 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 the 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, consultations, 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 its headquarters 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

6. August 2020

The majority of german TV stations do not yet use a consent tool for media libraries

81 percent of the German TV stations offering content via HbbTV have not implemented a Consent Tool in their media libraries. Nevertheless, they have a proud market share of 78 percent. This is the result of an analysis by TeraVolt, in which the Hamburgers watched 48 stations offering HbbTV.