Vestel and Vewd add newest HbbTV standard to smart TV partnership

Tuesday, March 13th, 2018
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Vestel and Vewd extend partnership to ship millions of smart TVs supporting the newest HbbTV standard

  • First-to-market technology will ship on Vestel-manufactured TV brands such as Toshiba and Telefunken

OSLO, Norway — Vewd, the global market leader in enabling OTT, and Vestel today announced a multi-year contract renewal that will see even more Vewd products delivered across the full range of Vestel televisions. This agreement will result in one of the largest deployments of smart TVs with the newest HbbTV standard which allows streaming video to merge seamlessly with linear TV.

Consumers and broadcasters will benefit significantly from the capabilities of these new Vewd-enabled and Vestel-manufactured smart TVs. European broadcasters will be able to leverage HbbTV 2.0.1 to create new experiences such as:

  • Companion Screen Sync – Real-time synchronization of companion screen audio and video with a live TV broadcast, for example, delivering alternate-language commentary or offering alternate camera angles for sporting events.
  • Dynamic OTT Insertion – Integration of broadcast and IP content like dynamically adding a streaming local news program to follow a national news broadcast, or providing personalized, tailored advertising during a TV program.

Vestel, Europe’s largest TV manufacturer, produces more than 60 of world’s most known TV brands, including JVC, Hitachi, and Toshiba. With a strong history of collaboration, Vestel and Vewd have enabled more than 20 million TVs with Vewd’s software and content offerings, with more than a thousand certified apps. This renewed agreement will see millions of new TVs come to market with support for HbbTV 2.0.1 which is the latest update to the technology standard.

“Vestel has relied on Vewd to deliver the most compelling OTT platform on millions of smart TV each year,” said Hakan Kutlu, Vice President, Marketing and Product Management, Vestel. “For our brands, the quality of the OTT experience is paramount. Vewd is the only partner we trust to deliver both premium content and the latest streaming technologies flawlessly to millions of households.”

HbbTV is a global standard available in more than 32 countries that creates interactive TV experiences over broadcast. In October 2017, Vewd’s implementation of HbbTV 2.0.1 was named “Best Multiscreen HbbTV Service” by the HbbTV Association.

“Working together with Vestel means we can deliver real market impact at scale,” said Aneesh Rajaram, CEO, Vewd. “Consumer expectations are rapidly changing, with more streaming content and interactive broadcast experiences available than ever before. The renewal of our long-standing partnership with Vestel ensures that they can enjoy the best of broadcast and streaming video – both now and in the years to come.”