Viewers of the Russian TV channel NTV will have the opportunity to use HbbTV from July 7.
According to NTV’s owner Gazprom Media, the first programmes offering the interactive feature will be Food Alive or Dead and Miracle of Technology, and in future HbbTV will be introduced to other NTV services.
Commenting on the development, NTV general director Alexei Zemsky said: “In proportion to the increase in the penetration of HbbTV technology on the Russian television market, the commercial and marketing potential of using this interactive feature by television channels is growing. First of all, we consider the new technology as a tool to increase the involvement of the viewer on the air, and, as a result, increase the viewing time. At the same time, HbbTV opens up broad opportunities for additional monetisation of content, thanks to the creation of new commercial products based on it and ensuring targeted delivery of advertising messages”.