
By Tim Pearson, Sr. Director Product Marketing
NAGRA's recent webinar Talking TVkey brought together leading pay-TV service providers to discuss the future of direct-to-TV services and focussed on the considerations, challenges and benefits when compared to deploying traditional set-top box (STB) devices. The webinar provided a number of fascinating insights and discussions on the challenges faced by the wider industry. To catch-up with all the action, access the recording via the link at the end of this blog.
Direct-to-TV solutions such as TVkey, a solution jointly designed by NAGRA and Samsung, deliver a wide range of benefits for manufacturers, operators and customers.
HD+ was the first service provider to deploy TVkey a year ago and has subsequently seen success in a number of areas. I must underline that it is a win-win-win for the whole value chain. Consumers will gain control over their content in a streamlined convenient manner, operators are able to increase reach to customers without investing heavily in STBs, while manufacturers can offer compelling services on the TV, therefore increasing the value of the product, said Georges Agnes, COO of HD Plus. One consideration we had when implementing our service on the TVKey solution was the impact the HbbTV operator app would have on traditional distribution channels. The rate of converting installations, TV sets sold to the households and apps installed on the TV sets - that ratio was fundamental to us, and since launch, we have seen high double-digit percentage call up and installation rates which is very positive. A lot of users are actively launching our app and using HD+ services on Samsung TV sets.
The webinar also looked at another key consideration when discussing direct-to-TV services, namely the operator UI. How can it co-exist with the TV UI in a manner that makes sense to an operator? NAGRA and Samsung have worked in partnership to create an ecosystem that offers operators full control over key elements such as the guide, channel list and zapper bar, whilst co-existing with Samsung's UI for all the other TV functions outside of the operator application. At the core of the application environment, we have the HbbTV operator app - developed to give this level of control to the operator to co-exist with the UI and middleware of the TV. This is just housekeeping for TV settings and is a happy compromise from a number of very experienced people across the value chain, explains John Adam, Director of Business Development at Samsung Research.
For many operators, a key benefit of a direct-to-TV solution is providing consumers with an appealing service offer that facilitates an impulse purchase' during the set-up of their new TV that then installs the operator's application onto that TV. Once the app is installed, the operators brand becomes the first thing consumers see when they turn on the TV and is akin to the previous STB experience.
The panel also explored how consumers can switch to other operator services-in the same way they may switch their mobile phone provider on their owned mobile device. Pedro Bandeira, Vice President Product and New Business, Europe at Deutsche Telekom commented on this point by saying, Operators need to control the interaction with the customer. We are making life easier for their customers to go to the competition, because if they feel that wa -we should facilitate their decision and enable them to come back to our service in a positive manner.
Miguel Rodrigues, Group Head of TV Product at Vodafone agreed, adding: When talking about consumer churn, the low investment in direct-to-TV isn't as large as the investment gaining new customers with a STB, so it can help operators accept that customers leaving is not necessarily a bad thing and can be regained at a different time. It also increases the possibility for new customers through bringing the operator app into new homes, so it is a balance.
As the market evolves and operators are faced with not only further pressure on the economics of supply but new channels to market, it is likely that more operators will move to direct-to-TV solutions to optimise the overall customer experience. The market share for smart TVs will be a contributing factor to the pace at which this evolution takes place. As prices reduce year-on-year and the technology matures, it becomes an increasingly accessible channel through which consumers can access extensive pay-TV services.
NAGRA and Samsung are paving the way in innovating new solutions that benefit the whole value chain. When forecasting the future of pay-TV, it ois clear that the migration to direct-to-TV technology is a no longer a question of if', but rather when'.
To view a recording of Talking TVkey' on-demand, please click here.
Find out more about how TVkey can help you offer consumers instant and secure access to your services by clicking here, or contact us to learn more.
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
16/09/2025
SVG All-Stars: Leigh Michaud, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe UConn grad rose from ESPN's mailroom to become one of its most valuable ops leadersBy Bran...
16/09/2025
Live From IBC 2025: Friday's Latest From Halls 1-4, Outdoor Exhibits in Amst...
16/09/2025
Live From IBC 2025: Saturday's Latest From Halls 5-7 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff
Friday, September 12, 2025 - 17:00
Print This Story
The SVG Europe and ...
16/09/2025
Live From IBC 2025: Sunday's Latest From Halls 8-10 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff
Saturday, September 13, 2025 - 17:00
Print This Story
The SVG Europe and...
16/09/2025
Live From IBC 2025: Monday's Latest From Halls 11-14 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff
Sunday, September 14, 2025 - 17:00
Print This Story
The SVG Europe and ...
16/09/2025
Amazon Prime Video Picks Up Four Hours of Early-Round Masters Coverage in 2026By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 10:15 a...
16/09/2025
VERSANT Inks Deal for League One Volleyball as Women's Sports Rights Slate G...
16/09/2025
ESPN VP, Corporate Communications, Katina Arnold Named SVP, Disney Advertising C...
16/09/2025
IBC 2025 in Review: SVG Europe's Full Collection of Video Interviews From th...
16/09/2025
Hace una d cada, la m sica latina representaba apenas el 8% de las reproducciones globales en Spotify. Hoy, constituye m s de una cuarta parte (27%) de toda la ...
16/09/2025
A decade ago, Latin music made up just 8% of global Spotify streams. Today, it a...
16/09/2025
Spotify is expanding our video lineup with a new partnership with Zoo 55, part of ITV Studios. For the first time, acclaimed content from ITV Studios is landing...
16/09/2025
At DSEI 2025, James Dunne of L3Harris Maritime UK chaired a panel on aligning the supply chain to the warfighter, where leaders discussed modernising support fo...
16/09/2025
Calrec has strengthened its collaboration with audio metering expert RTW by integrating RTW's new TMxCore metering platform across its full range of Argo IP...
16/09/2025
College Football Scores Top Telecast in August with 16M+ Viewers on FOX, Followe...
16/09/2025
Collaboration marks the first SSP integration of Gracenote IDs, enabling show-le...
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM The organizers of IBC2025 are reporting that 43,858 visitors from more than 170 countries attended the event, which had more than 1,300 exhibitors and...
16/09/2025
Wooden Camera announces the release of its new Accessory Collection for the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55. The highlights of this collection include vital power soluti...
16/09/2025
Anton/Bauer, a leading manufacturer of mobile power solutions for broadcast and cinematic equipment, has announced the launch of Anton/Bauer Fleet Management, a...
16/09/2025
Teradek, a leading provider of video transmission and live production solutions, today announced the launch of Prism Jetpack, a groundbreaking 5G video contribu...
16/09/2025
Astera, the leader in wireless LED lighting solutions, announces the ultra-versatile SolaBulb. Building on the success of the Astera bulb family, SolaBulb intro...
16/09/2025
As the world gathered at TED2025 to explore the provocative theme "Humanity Reimagined", Clear-Com , supported by NETGEAR networking infrastructure, delivered f...
16/09/2025
Bitfocus' Buttons platform celebrated as a catalyst for AV and broadcast convergence
Bitfocus has been named winner of the IABM Impact Award Pro AV Chan...
16/09/2025
Record entries and outstanding innovation celebrated at IBC2025 as the MediaTech community honors its leading people, projects and organizations
IABM announced...
16/09/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SJC), a leading satellite operator and pay-TV provider in Japan, has partnered with H...
16/09/2025
Telestream congratulates Sky Group, which has been awarded the prestigious IBC Innovation Award for Content Distribution for its MediaMesh platform on Sunday, S...
16/09/2025
Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space
Luxembourg, September 15, 2025 - SES, a leading...
16/09/2025
NOVI, Mich. ENCO has unveiled Raptor, a cloud-based live streaming captioning encoder that injects the speed, power and reliability of real-time AI capabilities...
16/09/2025
NEW YORK Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCUniversal Local have announced that a total of $2.5 million has been awarded in 2025 to 69 nonprofit organizations servicin...
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Martin Euredjian has joined Atomos as director of advanced imaging and will lead innovation for advanced display technology....
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Calrec introduced a 48-faced Argo M and showcased its largest Argo software updates at the recently concluded IBC2025....
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Lawo introduced its HOME Audio Shuffler app, a replacement for a traditional baseband audio matrix within an IP-based Dynamic Media Facility, during t...
16/09/2025
CBS is reporting that the 77TH Emmy Awards hosted by Nate Bargatze on Sunday Sept. 14 was seen by more than 7.42 million viewers on the CBS Television Network a...
16/09/2025
Back to All News
Meet the Adversaries That Will Clash in Rulers of Fortune, a S...
16/09/2025
Back to All News
Would You Take 30 Million Baht from a Dead Persons Account? E...
16/09/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Official Trailer and Poster for She Walks ...
16/09/2025
Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer B...
15/09/2025
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller&...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
A U.S. Marine launches a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a training exercise. (Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps)...
15/09/2025
AMSTERDAM TV Tech has named its Best of Show Awards winners for IBC2025, which wraps up today. Entrants were judged by a panel of industry experts on the criter...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
Over 41 Million Global Viewers On Netflix Watch Terence Crawfo...
15/09/2025
Paris, France - September 15, 2025 -- Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-p...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
The Great Flood' Teaser Trailer Previews A Gripping Struggle for Survival
Entertainment
15 September 2025
GlobalSouth Korea
Link copi...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
From Hardship to Hope: Typhoon Family' Presents a Tale of...