The spread of Hybridcast

We all know that smartphones have dramatically changed the way we communicate. And now, the wave of “smartification” is approaching the world of television. What will the next evolution be? How will these new services change lifestyles?

IPTV Forum has been working on the standardization of smart TV, in order to promote new technologies and new viewing styles. We have named a new broadcast-centric web interactive service “Hybridcast”.

Hybridcast specification v.1.0 was finalized in March 2013. NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, was the first to start public Hybridcast broadcast service in September 2013, which was followed by private broadcasters. Also, major consumer electronics companies started sales of Hybridcast TVs, and as of the end of December 2014, about 1,800,000 units have already been shipped to the Japanese market.

The remarkable feature of Hybridcast is the world's first adoption of HTML5, the latest web standards W3C developed, in the broadcast-centric connected TV standard.
An application/service using new features and benefits of HTML5 have successfully brought together broadcast content and internet content, realizing richer experiences more than ever. Also, interaction of personal terminals such as smartphones and tablets with larger screens is creating new user experiences, allowing users to watch TV while enjoying these various new services.