What DVB Services does

DVB Services Sàrl is a Swiss limited liability company (Sàrl) formed in 2003 as the wholly owned commercial arm of the DVB Project, an industry-led consortium founded in 1993. The company performs two functions on behalf of the DVB Project: (1) it acts as the official registration authority for DVB Identifiers — unique binary codes such as Network IDs, Bouquet IDs, Original Network IDs, CA System IDs, and URI Linkage Type IDs that enable receiver interoperability across DVB-SI, DVB-DATA, DVB-GSE, and DVB-CI specifications covering satellite, cable, terrestrial, and IP broadcast networks; and (2) it administers the DVB Trademark Authorized User Agreement, licensing the DVB logo to compliant vendors for display on conforming products and services.

The underlying technology stack is a set of registration and contractual systems rather than a software product. Identifier allocation is delivered through a self-service web portal (app.dvbservices.com) with online application forms and credit-card-based fee processing; the same portal hosts the mark agreement application workflow and the public authorized-user directory. The company is co-located at EBU premises in Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland, operates with 1-10 employees, and is structured as a non-profit cost-recovery entity — fees are calibrated to offset administrative costs rather than maximize commercial return.

The business model is asset-light and transactional. Revenue comes from two disclosed streams: DVB Identifier allocation (€300 application fee plus €200 per identifier, with a €500 DTT bundle) and DVB Mark Agreement administration (€100 one-time fee, no annual renewal). The company serves a horizontal customer base spanning broadcasters and network operators (BBC, Eutelsat, SES, Hispasat), equipment and consumer electronics manufacturers, interactive TV application developers, conditional-access and content-protection vendors, and semiconductor/technology firms — with 330+ authorized users globally. Distribution is entirely digital via the application portal and direct email, with no field sales force.

Name

DVB Services

Legal name

DVB Services Sàrl

Website

https://dvbservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DVB Services Sàrl is the official registration authority for DVB broadcast identifiers and the licensing body for the DVB trademark, serving broadcasters, equipment manufacturers, and technology vendors globally on behalf of its parent, the DVB Project.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand-saconnex

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. DVB Identifier Allocation Fees: Revenue generated from charging application and per-identifier fees for allocating DVB Identifiers used in digital broadcasting. Applicants pay €300 per application plus €200 per individual identifier requested. Special DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) package available for €500 including Original Network ID, 256 Network IDs, and Private Data Specifier ID.
2. DVB Mark Agreement Administration: One-time administration fee of €100 charged when companies enter into DVB Trademark Authorized User Agreement to use DVB logos on compliant products. No annual fee is charged for logo usage.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DVB Services Sàrl is the official registration authority for all DVB Identifiers used in digital television broadcasts across satellite, cable, terrestrial, and IP networks, allocating codes such as Bouquet IDs, CA System IDs, Network IDs, and Original Network IDs. It also administers the DVB Mark Authorized User Agreement, a trademark licensing program allowing companies to legally use the DVB logo on products that comply with DVB standards.

Product overview

DVB Services Sàrl provides two core services: (1) DVB Identifiers — acting as the registration authority for all DVB Identifiers defined in DVB specifications, including Bouquet IDs, CA System IDs, Network IDs, Original Network IDs, Organisation IDs, and other broadcast identifiers used by DVB-SI, DVB-DATA, DVB-GSE, and DVB-CI standards; and (2) DVB Mark Agreement — a trademark licensing program allowing vendors to use the DVB logo on products conforming to DVB standards, requiring a one-time €100 administration fee and Declaration of Conformity. The company does not offer a unified software platform but rather web-based application portals for identifier registration and trademark agreement management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DVB Identifiers Registration authority service for all DVB Identifiers used in digital television broadcasts and services. Includes Bouquet IDs, CA System IDs, Network IDs, Original Network IDs, Organisation IDs, and other codes defined in DVB specifications (DVB-SI, DVB-DATA, DVB-GSE, DVB-CI) to enable unique identification of DVB broadcasts, networks, and interactive applications for broadcasters, network operators, and equipment manufacturers.
• DVB Mark Agreement Trademark licensing program allowing companies to use the DVB logo on products that comply with DVB standards. Requires a one-time €100 administration fee and a Declaration of Conformity. Authorized users include vendors of set-top boxes, TVs, satellite receivers, cable equipment, and other consumer/professional electronics.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• DVB ProjectflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003DVB Services Sàrl is wholly owned by the DVB Project and was established in 2003 to handle trademark licensing and identifier allocation activities that were originally managed directly by the DVB Project. The DVB Project is an industry-led consortium founded in 1993 comprising the world's leading media and technology companies designing open technical specifications for digital media delivery.
• EBU (European Broadcasting Union)coreOthersDVB Services Sàrl is headquartered at the EBU premises (c/o EBU, L'Ancienne Route 17a, CH-1218 Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland). The EBU is a prominent international association of broadcasters.
• ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)coreTechnology or IntegrationDVB standards are adopted as European standards by ETSI. ETSI publishes DVB specifications, and the DVB logo usage is optional as specifications can be obtained free of charge directly from ETSI.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sisvel: An Italy-based intellectual property management company that administers patent pools and licensing programs for wireless, video, and audio technologies. Sisvel's pool-administration function is directly analogous to DVB Services' identifier-and-mark licensing operations, though at substantially larger scale and broader scope.
• MPEG LA: A leading independent licensing administrator that manages patent pools for video coding standards (including MPEG-2, H.264/AVC, HEVC). MPEG LA operates a larger-scale version of the same registration-and-licensing model that DVB Services provides, though focused on essential patents rather than broadcast identifiers.
• Via Licensing Alliance: A patent pool administrator managed by Dolby that licenses standard-essential audio codecs (e.g., AAC). Via Licensing represents a broader incumbent in the standards-IP licensing space and offers a comparable administrative-services business model targeting media and broadcasting technology adopters.

Others

• ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute): The European standards organization that formally publishes DVB specifications as ETSI standards. While not a direct competitor — DVB Services states specifications can be obtained free from ETSI — ETSI is the closest ecosystem partner and the upstream publisher of the underlying technical documents that DVB Services' identifier system references.
• Dolby Laboratories: A broadcast and audio technology licensor that administers trademarks and licensing programs (e.g., Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos) for compliant consumer and professional equipment. Dolby operates a similar ecosystem-licensing function to DVB Services in adjacent audio/visual broadcast domains, though at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Digital TV Group (DTG): The UK-based industry association that manages DVB-related receiver specifications and the 'Freeview' HD logo. DTG runs its own compliance mark program for UK television products, making it a directly analogous marks-and-standards administrator within the broader DVB ecosystem.
• ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee): The U.S.-based standards body for digital terrestrial television. ATSC operates the parallel registration authority and trademark licensing program for the North American broadcast market, performing the identical function (identifier allocation and mark administration) that DVB Services performs for the DVB ecosystem.

Regional players

• ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses): The Japanese standards body that develops the ISDB family of broadcasting standards and operates the registration framework for Japanese broadcasters and equipment manufacturers. ARIB is a regional counterpart performing essentially the same function for the Japanese market that DVB Services performs for Europe and DVB-adopting regions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DVB Services