German TV audience measurement body AGF Videoforschung is extending its trial to integrate HbbTV return‑path data into the country’s official TV ratings.
The move, which could lead to the most significant methodological change in Germany’s national TV ratings measurement scheme in decades, follows a proof‑of‑concept launched in May 2025 that aims to combine traditional panel data with usage details collected via HbbTV-compliant connected TV sets as well as Sky set‑top boxes.
AGF CEO Kerstin Niederauer‑Kopf (pictured) told German industry publication DWDL that expectations should remain realistic, even as the project advances. “We have extended the test. It would have been surprising if the first proof of concept had already met all methodological and technical requirements,” she said. “We are currently well on schedule.”
The German initiative mirrors developments in Austria, where the Teletest audience measurement system has incorporated HbbTV return‑path data since 2024. More than 1.1 million connected devices feed into the Austrian ratings model, which took four years to develop. The integration significantly reduced so‑called “zero ratings” – instances where channels recorded no measurable audience despite having viewers – and stabilised fluctuations, though it did not lead to higher average reach.
Germany faces a more complex task. Unlike Austria, the AGF must align HbbTV data with existing digital measurement systems and integrate usage from platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, which joined AGF’s measurement framework in 2024. The organisation must also balance the differing interests of its broadcaster shareholders.
Despite these challenges, the first year of testing has been encouraging. Niederauer‑Kopf said: “We are building parallel tracks to move towards productive operation. You do not do that if the first iterations perform poorly.” She emphasised that the data is “methodologically very relevant”, but stressed the need for caution: “At the start of regular operation, everything must run as smoothly as possible.”
AGF plans to continue testing throughout 2026 and may present further insights at the AGF Forum in September. “The engine room is steaming, everyone involved is working on it,” Niederauer‑Kopf told DWDL. She described the hybrid approach – combining panel data with return‑path information – as “by far the biggest change in TV measurement”.
However, she warned against inflated expectations. “Adding return‑path data will not fundamentally change reach. We expect more stability in small, fragmented structures, but not automatically significantly higher net reach or much longer viewing times,” she said.
AGF has now secured consent for measurement from more than 17 million devices, up from 16 million in September 2025. But Niederauer‑Kopf said the number itself is not decisive: “The pure quantity of devices is not the crucial point. Germany has more than 40 million TV households. What matters is not only how many devices are measured, but what usage is actually captured. That is why the representative panel will remain central for valid and comparable ratings.”
A key question for the coming months is how HbbTV households will be integrated into the existing panel structure without compromising representativeness – a prerequisite for acceptance by the advertising industry.