In Broadcast - February 2018 - 22
22 www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 8 - Issue 2 | February 2018 InForm IBB & OTT Deployments And Progress Dr Amal Punchihewa, Director Technology and Innovation of ABU, considers Integrated Broadcast-Broadband (IBB) and Over-the-Top (OTT) services in APAC... T he recent launch of what is called red button for Toggle service of Mediacorp is a clear indication of the value of IBB services. Toggle service was first launched in 2013 as a pure ondemand service in the form of an OTT offering. In 2014, broadcasters launched Freeview Plus service in Australia based on Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV). HbbTV is an Integrated BroadcastBroadband engine that enables a high level of interactivity and the ability to offer on-demand services as OTT through the broadband. In 2015, New Zealand broadcasters joined the club by introducing Freeview Plus service in the country. Public broadcaster TVNZ in New Zealand has observed improved viewership and audiences, leading to increased market share. HbbTV can offer catch-up services complementing the broadcast services through online delivery using the broadband. Such access serves the changing viewing habits of audiences due to their busy lifestyles. HbbTV can also support pause and rewind functions. It can also provide recommendations and manage favourites and reminders. This has been proven in Australia and New Zealand. With strong local and other contents, Freeview Plus is proven to be robust against new entrants to their markets including OTT players. They will also operate HbbTV based services in terrestrial (DTT) and satellite (DTH). With the companion or second screen device operation, HbbTV services could meet the demands of current audiences. All of these explain why Toggle wants to embrace HbbTV or in general any IBB engine, complementing its broadcast services through the Internet. It is a topic that was discussed in many fora that pure OTT service has poor profitability. Mediacorp may be able to achieve improved audiences through the seamless navigation that HbbTV could offer with high levels of interactivity. In the broadcast industry, especially the broadcasters in Asia-Pacific are embracing HbbTV and other IBB technologies to offer hybrid broadcasting. IBB helps to keep up with evolving viewing habits and media market conditions. Singapore - Toggle The most recent deployment is MediaCorp's Toggle service in Singapore. Mediacorp is the national broadcaster in Singapore. It has the widest range of media platforms spanning digital, television, radio, print and out-of-home media. Its mission is to engage, entertain and enrich audiences by harnessing the power of creativity. The company has over 50 products and brands in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), reaching out to virtually all adults in Singapore. Mediacorp offers Channel NewsAsia International, drama coproductions and collaborations in magazine publishing and online media. Its investments include a majority share in Kapanlagi Network, Indonesia's largest independent digital media and in Malaysia's digital games publisher Cubinet Interactive. It also has stakes in Reebonz, one of the region's fastest growing luxury online retailers, and Vietnam television's International Media Corporation. Toggle is Mediacorp's bilingual OTT service with entertainment and lifestyle content. Mediacorp claims that it redefines TV viewing altogether, Toggle's Website going beyond the television set, offering a wide variety of local content options - catchup, Toggle Originals, live coverage of key events, behind-the-scene insights to viewers across multiple devices - computer, laptop, tablet, mobile phone, Smart TV and game consoles. The content can be accessed by logging on to www.toggle. sg or downloading the app on iPhone, iPad, Android devices, Smart TVs and Microsoft Xbox One. Recently Toggle launched a new service that brings together live broadcast TV and its vast catalogue of video-on-demand (VOD) services into a single seamless environment. According to Mediacorp, the new service, called Toggle Red Button provides a huge leap forward in the free-to-air TV viewing experience. Users can access the service just by pressing the red button on the TV remote control, which will give them direct access to Toggle's library of programmes while watching Mediacorp's free-to-air TV channels, all on one screen. They will not need to switch between screens or search for apps. In addition, users no longer need to use recording devices or set top boxes and remember to record their favourite shows - they can watch them on catch-up through the Toggle menu in the TV environment. According to Mediacorp, future developments will include services like stock quotes, personalised watchlists, voting and social engagement. Audience insights gleaned from the service will enhance Mediacorp's audience targeting solutions for its advertisers and clients. Mediacorp intends to bring a wide range of additional features that have planned for the service. Their consumers can look forward to new content and a new level of interactivity. Advertisers can also look forward to innovations in reaching their customers such as addressable TV features and transaction capabilities. Australia's Freeview Plus is based on HbbTV The Toggle Red Button service is based on an Integrated Broadcast Broadband (IBB) technology known as HbbTV. The HbbTV technology has been widely deployed across Europe, Australia and New Zealand with adoption rates up to 80% in some markets, and a range of services such as games, voting and contextualised advertising. Mediacorp, the company that runs Toggle, is the first in Asia to deploy HbbTV technology and developed the service in partnership with Finland-based HbbTV solution provider, Sofia Digital. The service is delivered on Mediacorp's Digital TV (DVB-T2) terrestrial network and seamlessly combines broadcast with broadband TV. Toggle Red Button is accessible via HbbTV-enabled Smart TVs that are certified for the Toggle Red Button service, and available on selected models by major TV manufacturers. Convenience: with HbbTV the content follows the viewer's device Toggle also allows uninterrupted viewing, allowing users to pick up from where they left from one platform to another. Toggle's content goes where the audience goes, allowing him or her to switch from watching on a PC to a mobile phone when a person leaves home. And with the wide range of content offered, from different channels and movies to original productions, viewers will have a lot to keep them toggling. Toggle is now available on multiple platforms, including online, smartphones, tablets and smart TVs. Programmes from MediaCorp's free-to-air channels will be available to Toggle users, alongside the linear streaming of Channel NewsAsia.