European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Members will be offered generic applications to deploy Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) during the Olympics and the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), when audiences peak.
Three 'white label' interactive applications will be provided free to participating EBU Members to customise generic content for entertainment, news or sport.

The applications from EBU members ARD/IRT and commercial partners DOTSCREEN and Abertis Telecom will provide a basic level of hybrid interactivity to promote the adoption of HbbTV, which combines traditional viewing with the added value of the internet and smart device applications.

Through the adoption of HbbTV, consumers will be able to access new services from online providers including catch-up TV, video on demand (VoD), interactive advertising, personalisation, voting, games and social networking, as well as programme-related services such as digital text and Electronic Programme Guides (EPG).

EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre said: "More than 20 EBU members* have agreed to collaborate to unlock the full potential of Hybrid TV for a European rollout of the technology in 2012. Underlying this co-operation is the shared conviction that only high quality creative content can breathe life into the promise of hybrid technology - and only a flexible, cross-border approach will make it happen quickly."

The EBU hosted a Creative Content Workshop today at its Geneva headquarters to enable EBU members to share experiences and ideas for hybrid applications.
During the event, members will agree common approaches to issues relating to the deployment of successful hybrid TV services, such as colour-coded buttons and a common market for hybrid television applications.

* The Members of this initiative are ARMTV (Armenia), ORF (Austria), RTBF (Belgium), HRT (Croatia), CyBC (Cyrus), Czech TV (Czech Republic), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), France Televisions, ARD & ZDF (Germany), MTV Magyar Radio (Hungary), RTE (Ireland), RAI (Italy), Radiotelevizija Crne Gore (Montenegro), OMROEP (Netherlands), NRK (Norway), TVP (Poland), TVR (Romania), Rozhlas (Slovakia), RTVSLO (Slovenia), RTVE (Spain), TRT (Turkey), NTU (Ukraine).

www.ebu.ch
www.eurovision.net