Second screen for HbbTV — Automatic application launch and app-to-app communication enabling novel TV programme related second-screen scenarios

The article presents an open standards-based framework that enables bi-directional communication between Web applications for TV and second-screen devices. It also provides mechanisms for the automatic launch of applications from the TV on the second screen. Due to its compliance to the HbbTV standard, the framework allows broadcasters to create novel interactive applications with direct programme relation potentially targeting millions of already deployed devices on the market.