Service registries
A guide to how service registries can be used to reference service lists and enable the discovery of television and video services.
How television services can be discovered from different providers
Television is no longer delivered in just one way. Services can come from broadcast networks, streaming platforms, and applications, often all available on the same television.
This leads to a simple question. If services can come from many different sources, how does a television know where to look?
Service discovery helps televisions find what is available. But for that to work at scale, there also needs to be a way to organise where that information can be found.
This is where service registries come in.
What is a service registry?
A service registry is a directory of service lists.
It allows televisions to find out what service lists are available, where they are located, and what they contain.
Rather than containing programmes or streams themselves, a registry provides structured information about available services. It points to the lists that organise and present those services.
In simple terms, a service registry works a bit like an index or a lookup system. It helps televisions find the right lists, so they can present services in a consistent and coherent way.
Why do we need service registries?
In a broadcast world, much of the information needed to organise services was delivered alongside the signal.
In an online world, services are published by many different organisations. Broadcasters, platform operators, and other providers may all offer their own service lists.
Without a way to organise this, televisions would need to rely on individual platforms or apps to define what is available. This leads to fragmentation, where each platform presents its own partial view.
Service registries provide a way to coordinate this information. They make it possible to discover service lists from different sources and bring them together into a single experience.
Where are service registries used?
Service registries can be operated by different types of organisation.
A television manufacturer may provide a registry to support its own platform. A national organisation may provide a registry to ensure that viewers can find local services. Independent providers may also offer registries that bring together services from multiple sources.
Since service registries are not tied to a single platform or provider, more than one registry can exist at the same time.
This means that televisions can discover service lists from a range of sources, depending on what is relevant to the viewer.
How do service registries work together?
Service registries do not need to be centralised.
A television can consult one or more registries to find available service lists. Each registry may provide different information, reflecting different priorities or regions.
This allows for a flexible and open approach to service discovery. National services can be supported alongside international offerings. Different organisations can contribute to the overall set of available services.
Rather than a single point of control, service discovery becomes a shared system, where multiple registries can coexist and complement each other.
Why are service registries important for television?
As television continues to move online, the way services are discovered becomes more important.
Service registries make it possible to organise and locate services across different sources, while still allowing platforms to innovate in how those services are presented.
They support a more open and scalable approach, where broadcast channels, online services, and applications can all be discovered and combined in a consistent way.
For viewers, this means a simpler and more coherent experience. For service providers, it means a more effective way to reach audiences across different platforms.
Conclusion
Television is becoming more connected, with services delivered in different ways but expected to work together. Service registries provide a way to organise this complexity, allowing service lists to be discovered across multiple sources.
The Service List Registry is an example of this approach, providing a structured way to support service discovery at scale. It helps enable the future of television and the move to online delivery, while supporting greater choice, simplicity, and flexibility for viewers.