ATVI and BCi Digital join forces to accelerate HbbTV-TA addressable TV deployment
July 6, 2026 10.28 Europe/London By Broadband TV News Correspondent

The Addressable TV Initiative (ATVI) and BCi Digital have signed a multi-year partnership to advance and harmonise addressable television advertising based on the HbbTV-TA specification across European broadcast markets.

Under the agreement, ATVI will provide BCi Digital with access to its core technical assets for implementing addressable advertising based on the HbbTV-TA standard, enabling faster deployment while ensuring full compliance and broadcast-quality dynamic ad substitution on real-world devices. The companies aim to improve interoperability and reduce fragmentation in addressable TV delivery.

A key element of the collaboration is the use of the ATVI implementation model, which is designed to accelerate time-to-market for technology providers while maintaining compliance with the specification. Broadcasters using BCi Digital solutions will also gain access to the ATVI Verified List, allowing them to filter compatible devices and limit Dynamic Ad Substitution (DAS) to verified HbbTV-TA-compliant TV models.

The HbbTV-TA specification, developed within the HbbTV framework, enables seamless ad substitution within linear television programming and is intended to support scalable addressable advertising services across Europe.

The partnership forms part of the ATVI Technical Partnership Program, through which ATVI works with selected technology companies to develop compliant addressable TV solutions while shortening development cycles and improving standardisation.

“We are very happy of this first of a kind partnership with BCi Digital; BCi Digital is a recognised leader in the delivery of turn-key solutions for addressable advertising, and we are very excited that BCi Digital will now engage with its Tier 1 Broadcaster clients in HbbTV-TA with the support of ATVI,” said Nicole Agudo-Berbel, Managing Director of ATVI and Managing Director and Chief Distribution & Partnerships Officer of Seven.One Entertainment Group.

Andre Prahl, Managing Director of ATVI and EVP Distribution at RTL Deutschland, added: “To work at scale, technology must remain harmonised, and this is what ATVI does; creating a reliable reach for HbbTV-TA for the benefits of broadcasters and advertisers; we are very glad to help BCi Digital and its customers to benefit from this harmonisation.”

John Bartlett, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of BCi Digital, said: “BCi Digital has been at the forefront of addressable advertising for more than a decade, helping deliver some of Europe’s most successful broadcast advertising solutions. Joining the ATVI Technical Partnership Program is an important opportunity to collaborate with industry leaders, accelerate innovation and help ensure television advertising remains effective, measurable and open in an increasingly IP-driven world.”

ATVI, based in Germany, is a technology joint venture founded by broadcast groups RTL Deutschland and ProSiebenSat.1 in 2022, focused on enabling the adoption of addressable TV technologies in Europe through harmonised reach based on open standards.

UK-based BCi Digital develops cloud-native media systems and addressable advertising solutions for broadcasters worldwide, with a focus on scalable real-time platforms for audience measurement and media distribution.