June 29, 2026

Vincent Grivet re-elected Chair as HbbTV Association appoints new Steering Group

Geneva, 29 June 2026 – Vincent Grivet (representing Eutelsat) will remain Chairman of the HbbTV Association. The members of the industry association’s newly elected Steering Group (SG) re-elected Grivet for another two-year term at their meeting on 26 June 2026. Jon Piesing (TP Vision) was re-elected Vice-Chairman and Xavi Redon (Cellnex Telecom) will continue to serve as Treasurer.

New Steering Group appointed

The new SG was appointed by the HbbTV Association members at the General Assembly on 12 June 2026. The 2026-2028 HbbTV Steering Group comprises the following members (in alphabetical order):

• BBC (Chris Poole)
• Cellnex Telecom (Xavi Redon)
• Digital TV Group (Ranjeet Kaur)
• Eutelsat (Vincent Grivet)
• Everyone TV (Alex Russell)
• LG Electronics (Hemanta Lamichhane)
• RAI Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. (Luca Barboni)
• R.T.I. S.p.A. / MediaForEurope Group (Fabio Guarnaccia)
• RTL Group (Frank Heineberg)
• Samsung Research (Christoph Fingerhut)
• Skyworth (Motoshi Bito)
• Sony Europe Ltd. (Nigel Moore)
• Tivù (Daniele Novaga)
• TP Vision (Jon Piesing)
• Vestel (Ersoy Özdemir)

Continuity and new perspectives

The new SG reflects a strong combination of continuity and fresh momentum. Twelve long-standing members have been re-elected, bringing deep institutional knowledge and ongoing commitment to the Association’s technical and commercial agenda. At the same time, the 2026 election marks notable changes in the SG’s composition.

The HbbTV Association warmly welcomes Vestel to the Steering Group for the first time, adding another leading TV manufacturer to the Association’s chief executive body. The return of the Digital TV Group (DTG) – a central hub for TV technology, standards and distribution in the UK – is equally welcome, reinforcing HbbTV’s ties to a key market. Skyworth joins the SG as the company steps into the European market following the strategic partnership under which Skyworth took over the sales, marketing and logistics of Panasonic-branded TVs in Europe from April 2026.

Appreciation for departing Steering Group members

The Association takes this opportunity to express its sincere appreciation to Panasonic and its long-serving Steering Group representative Martin Fähnrich for many years of dedicated contribution to HbbTV’s development. The Association likewise thanks Xperi and Frode Hernes, whose sustained engagement made a lasting contribution to the credibility and reach of the standard.

Strong motivation across the membership

The election application process this year demonstrated the depth of commitment across the HbbTV membership. Candidates collectively set out compelling visions for the standard’s evolution, spanning the transition to IP-based distribution, addressable advertising, interoperability, and HbbTV’s growing relevance beyond its traditional European heartland. That breadth of ambition augurs well for the work of the new Steering Group.

At membership level, the Association is pleased to welcome two new full members: Xiaomi and eJoyful, bringing the total membership to 60.

Priorities for 2026-2028

Over the upcoming two-year term, HbbTV will continue updating its core standard to meet market requirements and remain focused on interoperability to ensure compliance of reception devices with the specifications. Key workstreams for the 2026-2028 period include the finalisation and publication of HbbTV 2.0.6, the All-IP/3.0 study mission, a strengthened articulation between HbbTV and DVB-I, the launch of new vertical Application Interest Groups where the key uses cases of HbbTV will be discussed and consolidated amongst stakeholders, and continued investment in Test Suite maintenance and automation.

New membership categories

The General Assembly also approved changes to the Association’s membership structure, effective from the start of the new financial year on 1 July 2026. The standard membership fee has been increased for the first time since the Association’s founding, reflecting both the growing scope of HbbTV’s deliverables and inflationary pressures over 15 years. Two new membership tiers have been introduced: a Small Member category designed for smaller and innovative companies active in the HbbTV ecosystem, and an Associate Member category for organisations wishing to engage with HbbTV’s Application Interest Groups without full membership rights. These new categories open the Association to a broader range of participants and are expected to attract new entrants in the coming years.

Vincent Grivet, Chair

“I am honoured to serve another term as Chair and grateful to the HbbTV membership for their continued trust,” said Vincent Grivet, Chair of the HbbTV Association. “The 2026 election has brought real change alongside strong continuity – welcoming Vestel onto the Steering Group for the first time, seeing DTG return, and adding Xiaomi and eJoyful as new members of the Association reflects the growing breadth of our community. With our new Small Member and Associate Member categories now in place, I expect that community to grow further. With HbbTV 2.0.6 close to finalisation, the All-IP roadmap taking shape and the first Application Interest Groups launching, the next two years present some of the most significant opportunities in the Association’s history.”

14th HbbTV Symposium & Awards

The 14th HbbTV Symposium and Awards will take place on 18-19 November 2026 in Barcelona, co-hosted with 3Cat. Details on the annual key summit of the HbbTV community and wider connected TV industry can be found at https://www.hbbtv.org/14th-hbbtv-symposium-and-awards-2026/.

Click here for the PDF version of this press release.