Countries are now competing to be the first to launch a national television platform based on the DVB-I specification for service discovery. The Bavarian regulator has published its framework for the commercial deployment of DVB-I in the German market, expected to be launched at the IFA trade show in September. Freeview New Zealand is planning to be the first nationwide free-to-air television platform to use the standard. The race is on.

The DVB-I Book Germany has been developed by the ‘Round Table’ of public and private broadcasters in Germany, including ARD, ZDF, RTL, and Seven.One, with the participation of ZVEI, the German Electro and Digital Industry Association. It draws on an implementation profile previously published by Deutsche TV-Plattform, the latest version of which will be released in June.

The chair of the DVB-I Round Table in Germany is Dr Thorsten Schmiege, who is president of the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for New Media, BLM. Unlike all other German states, or Länder, all broadcasting services licensed in Bavaria are subject to the BLM.

“DVB-I offers simple and direct access to commercial and public service TV content via streaming without the need for additional apps,” he said. “DVB-I is intended to ensure the availability and findability of traditional broadcast content and linear TV — in a future-oriented way and independent of the commercial interests of individual gatekeepers.”

“Built on open standards, the German DVB-I Book defines the comprehensive requirements for service providers and receiver manufacturers ahead of the nationwide launch, marking a major collaborative milestone for all key stakeholders in the German market,” said Remo Vogel, the head of distribution strategy at RBB, one of the nine regional public broadcasting corporations that make up the ARD, who chairs of the DVB Project. “With launch activities progressing in Italy, the recent announcement from New Zealand, and the German market launch now in sight, we are beginning to see the results of this shared international effort.”

The DVB-I Book Germany envisages a regulated service list for Germany and defines its operational framework, procedures for including and ordering services, and a receiver certification process. Certified receivers will be granted authenticated access to the service list and associated content guides. It is expected that this service list will assume an official product name in the future.

www.blm.de
www.dvb.org

Roku has launched the first significant update of its home screen in over a decade. It introduces a more dynamic presentation guided by user behaviour. Apparently, no two viewers will see the same home screen. The new design is available on all Roku televisions and devices in the United States and will roll out elsewhere in the coming months.

“When we set out to rethink the Home Screen, we knew we should listen to the people who use it every day. So, we talked to the viewers, we tested extensively, and we pushed until the design and the data lined up for a meaningful update,” said Anthony Wood, the founder and chief executive of Roku. “Now, our new Home Screen puts entertainment at the centre of everything, while staying true to Roku’s simple, intuitive roots.”

With billions of possible home screen combinations, intelligence models pick the best one for each viewer every time they turn on their television.

New features include Quick Access to frequently used apps, adapting to usage routines.

There is a smart “Top Picks for You” section, with personalised relevant recommendations based on user interests and what is trending on Roku.

Destinations provide curate hubs based on genres and moods.

Subscriptions provides a convenient way to browse and discover programming from across multiple subscriptions.

The home screen menu now collapses to the left, as with many other online video interfaces. Roku says that leaves less clutter and more space, providing a cleaner canvas for discovery. There is also more room for prominent promotions.

Live television is just one tile in the interface, which is increasingly concerned with aggregating online video viewing options. It will be interesting to see how that integrates with Freely on Roku televisions.

www.roku.com

For the first time, over 70% of homes in the United Kingdom have access to an online video subscription service. For some time, the proportion had bounced around two-thirds of homes. Although recent rises are incremental, with a year-on-year increase of about 700,000 homes, the percentage of all homes is psychologically significant.

The establishment survey from the media measurement organisation Barb shows that 20.8 million homes in the United Kingdom had access to an online video subscription service in the first quarter of 2026. That is 70.3% of homes, up from 20.6 million in the last quarter of 2025, when it was 69.7%.

Netflix was available in an estimated 18.1 million homes across the country, which is 61.0%, up from 18.0 million the previous quarter. 7.2 million homes, or 40% of Netflix homes were on its advertising supported tier, an increase from 38% in the previous quarter.

Amazon Prime Video was in 13.7 million homes, or 46.1% of homes in the United Kingdom, down slightly from 13.8 million the previous quarter. 12.0 million homes, or 88% of Amazon Prime Video homes in the country, were on its advertising tier, up slightly from 11.9 million the previous quarter.

Disney+ was available in 7.8m homes, or 26.1%, up from 7.6m in a quarter. 2.8 million, or 37% of Disney+ homes, were on its advertising tier.

Discovery+ was up slightly at 3.5 million homes or 11.8%. Paramount+ was flat at around the same number.

Apple TV was available in 3.1 million homes, 10.4%, up from 3.0 million the previous quarter.

NOW from Sky remained flat at 2.0 million homes, which is 6.8% of homes in the United Kingdom.

Doug Whelpdale, the head of insight at Barb, said: “For the first time, more than 70% of UK homes had access to an SVOD service in the first quarter of this year. All services showed modest quarter-on-quarter changes. While the Disney+ and Netflix ad tiers had quarterly growth of 8.7% and 4.8% to stand at 2.8m and 7.2m homes in turn, they are up 68% and 50% respectively year-on-year.”

While Barb has tracked access to online video subscriptions for over a decade, it does not publish comparable figures for access to the online video services of its public service broadcaster shareholders.

One might assume that online video services like BBC iPlayer are almost universally available. What is perhaps more interesting is how much they are used, especially in comparison to subscription services.

www.barb.co.uk