Naples, November 29, 2023 - TeraVolt - A QVEST Company has won the “HbbTV Award 2023” with the product "ZDFmediathek Zapping Player". During the Award Ceremony at the 11th HbbTV Symposium, which were presented in Naples, ZDFmediathek Zapping Player came out on top in the category "Best Technology Innovation in an HbbTV Product or Service".
The HbbTV Association, a global initiative advocating for the provision of open standards for advanced interactive TV services across broadcast and broadband networks for connected TVs and set-top boxes, honors outstanding achievements in the field of HbbTV with this award.
The Award was presented to Volker Harbs (CTO, TeraVolt GmbH) and Katharina Schrenner (Product Manager, ZDF)
HbbTV Award Jury quote: “This looks simple, but it is an advanced HbbTV feature, providing an excellent user experience.”
The ZDFmediathek Zapping Player offers a completely new way to discover further and above all new content in the ZDFmediathek. With the Zapping Player, functionalities can now also be used via HbbTV on the big screen that were previously only integrated on social media platforms. The younger generation is used to "swiping" through content feeds on the various social media platforms every day. Every time it is a surprise which content is suggested next. This makes it possible to constantly discover new content and with the "content swipe" functions, the younger target group is addressed.
“We are thrilled, together with ZDF, about the success of the ZDFmediathek Zapping Player. It's always great when our innovative products receive international recognition. Winning the award also highlights the excellent partnership with ZDF, which has been ongoing for over four years.” says Mirko Rasche, Client Service Director TeraVolt GmbH
The zapping player is integrated as an overlay above the video player and can be controlled interactively with the remote control of the Smart TV. This makes it easy to switch back and forth between the different contents. In comparison to the classic navigation via teaser tiles, where it is often not clear what content is behind them, viewers are directly part of the current program and thus get a better and quicker feeling of what kind of content it is.
Furthermore, viewers using the Zapping Player can choose among three different options: they can either opt for channel-surfing through the displayed suggestions to discover entirely new content, or they can select thematically similar content within a channel. Additionally, it's possible to continue watching the current stream within a channel. All videos can be started from the beginning, paused, or rewound, and users can also select different audio tracks or set bookmarks for later playback.
ZDF is consistently pursuing the path of digital transformation and TeraVolt is proud to be able to accompany this process as an OTT development partner.
About TeraVolt
TeraVolt GmbH is a solution provider for digital media products and consulting based in Hamburg with a team of around 50 experts in product, strategy, and technology. The company specializes in developing outstanding new TV experiences and product lighthouses together with international clients and producing the best OTT solutions for them - from the initial idea to innovative products in operational use.