The 13th HbbTV Symposium and Awards will take place on 12-13 November 2025 at the Swissôtel The Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.
This was announced today by the HbbTV Association which co-costs the annual key summit of the connected TV industry with TVekstra, a Turkish provider of addressable TV advertising solutions.
The HbbTV Symposium targets a wide-ranging audience, including platform operators, broadcasters, advertisers, adtech companies, standards bodies, and technology vendors. This year’s focus will be on monetisation strategies enabled by HbbTV, particularly in the areas of addressable advertising, innovative revenue-generation methods, and business expansion opportunities, driven by standards and specifications such as the HbbTV Operator Application, HbbTV-TA, and DVB-I.
In addition to the usual review of recent developments and ongoing topics in the HbbTV ecosystem, the agenda – reflecting the choice of Istanbul for this year’s edition – will also focus on the interest for HbbTV in the MENA region, Arab countries, and the broader Asian markets. Thanks to its strategic geographic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Istanbul serves as a bridge connecting companies from Western Europe with local players in these emerging markets.
The HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2025 continues the two-day format established in previous years. The first day will offer a traditional conference setting, featuring keynotes, presentations, panel discussions, and roundtables. Industry experts and executives will present, showcase, and discuss the latest developments, innovations, and use cases.
On the second day, the event will adopt an unconference format. Attendees will actively shape the agenda, proposing topics and leading breakout discussions in a collaborative and informal environment. This format enables open dialogue and creative exchange, providing an opportunity to explore real-world challenges and share practical solutions, whether technical or business related.
A highlight of the event will be the HbbTV Awards ceremony, taking place in the evening of the first day. Celebrating excellence within the HbbTV community, the awards recognise outstanding innovations, services, and contributions. The ceremony will be held in a festive setting that encourages networking, collaboration, and a shared celebration of industry achievements.
“We’re thrilled to bring the HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2025 to Istanbul, a city that not only connects continents but also business opportunities. The modern digital technologies of the Western hemisphere are rapidly penetrating the MENA, Arab, and Asian regions and are very quickly becoming the norm as it has been the case in Europe and the USA. This event will open up valuable insights into these dynamic markets and explore how HbbTV can help the players of this region to materialise the connected TV opportunities and better navigate the challenges associated with the new paradigms. It also offers excellent first-hand networking opportunities with key regional stakeholders to discuss partnerships and collaborative growth,” said Vincent Grivet, Chairman of the HbbTV Association.
Merve Eraslanoğlu, CEO of TVekstra, added: “We’re proud to co-host the HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2025 in Istanbul – a city that symbolises the fusion of innovation and opportunity. As TVekstra, we see HbbTV as a key driver of television’s digital transformation, enabling more personalised, data-driven viewer experiences. This event is a unique chance to highlight how addressable TV can unlock new revenue for broadcasters and brands, and we’re excited to welcome the industry’s brightest minds to the place where the future of TV is being shaped.”
Further details on the conference programme, sponsorship opportunities, and HbbTV Awards 2025 will be announced soon.