PROGRAMME-SPECIFIC HBBTV APPLICATIONS​

Previously, applications have been tailored manually for each TV format. Now Sofia Digital has created a tool, Sofia Backstage® App Editor, for streamlining the application development process. With this tool, the content editor can create unified yet customized programme-specific applications quickly and without requiring any coding skills.

Applications created with the Sofia Backstage® App Editor utilize the capabilities of HbbTV extensively. The functionalities include the user interface and technical modules for the TV show elements of judges’, contestants’ and hosts’ presentations, voting, lucky-draw, results, social media integration, past episodes and highlights/video clips.

The application structure created with the Sofia Backstage® App Editor has been used in many participatory TV shows, for example Kingi and Putous, among others. The application template scales from very simple shows to more complex shows with a narrative.

The solution includes a secure head-end component (TVPOLL), which handles the voting and prize draw business logic in an integrated administration User Interface, enabling a fast turn-around of results – also during a live event or broadcast.

Applications created with the Sofia Backstage® App Editor can be launched during the TV shows, and they launch on top of the broadcast. The broadcast content stays at the top right corner of the screen, and the menu is available on the left-hand side of the screen. The contents change below the TV content on the right side of the screen. The application content is modified with the tool separately for each show and can be updated continuously throughout the season. The app theme and menu item style can also be modified to suit the look and feel of each show. However, as the core logic remains the same, the editor still provides a consistent user experience across the different shows.