A Cross-Platform Mobile App for TV Streaming

The project in a nutshell: we developed a cross-platform mobile TV application for Heaven TV7, a Christian television network with audiences in 90 countries. The Flutter framework enabled us to design the app for iOS and Android and include modules for a custom player with improved video quality for AirPlay and Chromecast.

The app (Taivas TV7) is available on Google Play and App Store. 
 

    

▪ Project Overview ▪

Client

Heaven TV7 is a Christian television network from Finland, available through the cable TV network and online, where it is watched in 90 countries.

Challenge

The client approached us to develop a new version of their mobile TV application from scratch using Flutter.

The client's application is a hybrid live streaming app with heavy reliance on a web view and localisation to five languages. Its main features include a video archive, a live TV channel with EPG, and a third-party donation system integrated via a web view. The app comes in five flavors built from a single codebase.

Solution

We studied the client's experience and requests based on their previous mobile app for video streaming, the ready-made UI design provided by a third-party developer and agreed on the software requirements.

The RESTful API we used was owned and maintained by the client. Adhering to the principles of clean architecture, we created it in layers. This step allowed us to easily change implementation details, shorten mobile app software development time and simplify application maintenance.

There were also challenges:

• As a hybrid web view app, it has complex web view routing logic.
• We had to fork an existing video player to support all the needed features (visual changes, TV casting, etc.)
• Development of complex components (EPG).

The video streaming app development was made to adhere to best industry practices (clean architecture principles etc.). We also used our expertise to assist the client with video stream quality improvement and provided full support at all stages, from design to publication in Google Play and App Store. 

List of features

We've provided support for the following features:

• VOD (Video on Demand) archive
• TV channel with EPG (Electronic Program Guide)
• Shop integration
• Adyen (third-party) donation integration
• Themes and articles (via web view)
• Localisation (5 languages)
• Global search
• Modified video player (timeshift, catch-up functionality, quality and subtitles support)
• PiP mini player
• TV casting (Chromecast, AirPlay)

Tech stack

• Languages: Dart
• Frameworks: Flutter
• Media formats: HLS
• Mobile platforms: Android, iOS

Business Value 

Our client received a cross-platform mobile TV application with the requested features and improved video quality. With the new level of mobile video streaming, our client has enhanced the user experience, allowing it to reach a wider audience.