DVB Steering Board approves major DVB-I updates
July 1, 2026



The DVB Steering Board has approved a significant package of specification updates centred on DVB-I, the DVB standard that provides a common way to describe and discover television services across broadcast, broadband and hybrid delivery environments. The documents have been published as DVB BlueBooks and will be sent to ETSI for standardisation, in some cases after verification and validation (V&V) activities have been completed.

The updates cover the core DVB-I service discovery specification and its implementation guidelines – strengthening security, application signalling and the viewer experience – along with a revised set of accessibility signalling guidelines. They are rounded out by supporting updates to two related specifications, TV-Anytime and interactive application signalling, and by an update to DVB-DASH, the streaming delivery specification that underpins DVB-I services.


At the heart of the package is BlueBook A177r8, the core DVB-I service discovery specification (ETSI TS 103 770). Its most significant addition is a comprehensive security framework, introduced into DVB-I for the first time, covering certificate management, content authentication and service list protection. Other enhancements in this revision include:

support for signalling CMCDv2, which beacon-based reporting of media player events;
service list discovery via mDNS, allowing simplified device provisioning in managed environments, such as IPTV deployments;
the ability to provide DRM (Digital Rights Managment) server information within the service list, extending the use of DRM-protected services;
support for portrait-format images (2:3 aspect ratio) in service lists and content guides, offering an enhanced experience on handheld devices.
With these additions, the specification provides DVB-I implementers with a deployable framework to support the transition to IP-based and hybrid television distribution.

Existing DVB-I deployments and receiver implementations, most of which are based on A177r6 or A177r7, remain unaffected. The latest revision introduces new optional capabilities rather than changing or removing existing ones.

Alongside this revision of the core specification, several related documents have been updated.

BlueBook A184r3 is the third revision of the DVB-I Implementation Guidelines. It adds a new annex on installation journeys, integrates guidance on applicationless DRM (Native DRM), and incorporates updates to support the newly published CMCDv2 standard alongside existing CMCDv1 metrics. The update also includes an informative profiling mechanism for Icecast stream delivery.

BlueBook A185r1 is the first revision of the DVB Accessibility Signalling Guidelines. While primarily focused on DVB-I, this document has broader applicability across the DVB ecosystem. It incorporates industry feedback on existing accessibility workflows and user preference templates, and reflects ongoing collaboration with the DVB Commercial Module to track emerging requirements.

Two related specifications have also been updated to align with the new DVB-I security architecture. BlueBook A137r3 revises the Interactive Application Signalling specification to carry verification policies for launched interactive services, while an update to the TV-Anytime Part 3-1 specification (ETSI TS 102 822-3-1 v1.14.1) – approved for direct submission to ETSI – extends the TV-Anytime schemas to signal content authentication data alongside material asset URLs.

The Steering Board has also approved BlueBook A168r10, an update to the DVB-DASH streaming specification. Key additions include Native DRM player behaviour definitions and DASH-IF interoperability elements, developed in collaboration with SVTA/DASH-IF, as well as CMCD support aligned with the DVB-I specifications.

The Steering Board has additionally re-elected Remo Vogel (rbb/ARD) as Chair of the DVB Project. Vogel, who first took on the role in July 2024, has been a central figure in the development and promotion of DVB-I technology.