Hybrid Broadcast/Broadband TV Services and Media Synchronization: Demands, Preferences and Expectations of Spanish Consumers

The combination of broadcast and broadband (hybrid) technologies for delivering TV related media contents is already a reality. It has been motivated by the large amount and diversity of media contents, together with the ubiquity and multiple connectivity capabilities of modern consumption devices. The use of connected TVs and companion devices (e.g., tablets, smartphones etc.) is gaining momentum. It enables personalized and enriched TV media experiences, by also exploiting social communication opportunities. Likewise, the media consumption paradigm is worldwide evolving from passive and isolated consumer experiences toward interactive and group shared experiences between remote consumers. Nevertheless, despite the specification of standards, such as hybrid broadcast broadband TV, and the efforts from operators and content providers in the last years, the adoption of hybrid TV media services in Europe is still not as high as expected. This paper presents the concept and some examples of hybrid TV media services, emphasizing the importance of including a combination of media synchronization solutions, known as hybrid sync, to guarantee a satisfactory level of quality of experience. Additionally, it includes the summary and discussion of the results of a research study focused on more than 1000 Spanish users' habits, preferences, and expectations regarding four representative hybrid TV media services. Many valuable insights and conclusions have been derived. For instance, the current low market adoption of hybrid TV media services, despite their advantages and the high interest of consumers, and that key technological challenges still need to be overcome. The obtained results and impressions foresee the impact (or potential) of such services in the upcoming TV related media consumption landscape. Therefore, devising proper standard-compliant technological solutions (paying special attention to hybrid sync) and equipment should be continued producing appropriate contents, deploying proper hybrid TV media services and applications. As well, it should be convenient to undertake marketing and commercial efforts to boost their deployment. The contributions of this paper can be very valuable to the interested agents to be aware of the remaining challenges, envisage the opportunities, and drive their efforts to maximize the market adoption of such services.