Native streaming app development
MTV
Music and entertainment streaming for ViacomCBS
Project overview
MTV's mobile product brought music videos, original series, reality programming, and live events into a native streaming experience.
We developed the iOS and Android applications from the ground up while working directly with ViacomCBS product, design, backend, QA, and release teams. The goal was a reliable viewing experience that could support a large and frequently changing content catalog.
The product included personalized discovery, offline downloads, household profiles, and cable-provider authentication for full-episode access.
15M+
Global Downloads
2
Platforms
1000+
Episodes Available
Our role
Technical contributions and key deliverables
Native Mobile Development
- Developed native iOS features using Swift 5+ with MVVM architecture pattern for scalable, testable codebase with reactive data binding
- Built the Android application with Kotlin and modern Jetpack components, including ViewModel, LiveData, and Navigation, on a maintainable architecture
- Implemented adaptive bitrate video streaming with HLS/DASH support for optimal playback quality across varying network conditions
- Created offline download functionality with DRM-protected content storage, expiration management, and intelligent cache optimization for premium subscribers
Enterprise Collaboration
- Worked directly with ViacomCBS product managers, designers, and engineering teams across Los Angeles and New York offices for synchronized feature development
- Participated in agile sprints with 2-week cycles including sprint planning, daily standups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives within scaled agile framework
- Conducted comprehensive code reviews, established coding standards documentation, and facilitated knowledge sharing sessions across distributed development teams
- Coordinated with marketing and launch teams on app store optimization, promotional campaigns, and coordinated release strategies for maximum visibility
Technical Implementation
- Integrated Braze SDK for sophisticated push notification campaigns with audience segmentation, A/B testing, deep linking, and scheduled delivery for new episode alerts
- Implemented comprehensive analytics tracking with Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics for user behavior insights, funnel analysis, and conversion optimization
- Established CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins and Fastlane for automated building, testing, code signing, and deployment to TestFlight and Google Play Console
- Managed beta testing programs through TestFlight (iOS) and Google Play beta tracks with phased rollouts, crash monitoring, and user feedback collection
Engineering challenges
Complex problems we solved during development
DRM & Content Protection
- Challenge: Premium content required strict DRM compliance across multiple platforms and content licensing agreements with major studios
- Solution: Implemented FairPlay Streaming (iOS) and Widevine Modular (Android) with secure license acquisition, key management, and secure media path enforcement
- Result: 100% content provider compliance with zero security breaches during production operation
TV Provider Authentication
- Challenge: Complex authentication flow with 50+ cable/satellite providers each with different OAuth implementations, token formats, and entitlement systems
- Solution: Built unified authentication abstraction layer with provider detection, token exchange, refresh logic, entitlement validation, and graceful fallback mechanisms
- Result: 99.0% authentication success rate across all supported TV providers, with a consistent sign-in experience
Streaming Performance
- Challenge: Video startup latency and buffering during peak traffic periods impacting user engagement and retention metrics
- Solution: Implemented adaptive bitrate streaming with intelligent buffer management, CDN optimization, pre-fetching strategies, and quality switching algorithms
- Result: 40% reduction in video start time and 55% improvement in buffering ratio during high-traffic premiere events
Offline Download Management
- Challenge: Managing downloaded content with licensing windows, storage constraints, and expiration tracking across multiple user profiles
- Solution: Built content lifecycle management system with automatic expiration, storage optimization, download queuing, and background refresh for expired content
- Result: Efficient storage utilization with 45% reduction in cache size through intelligent compression and deduplication
App Screenshots
Explore the user interface and key features
Favorites Screen
Browse Shows
Show Details
Show Details (Episodes)
Home Screen
Show Exclusives
Development Environment
Technical Stack
Technologies, frameworks, and tools
iOS
Android
Backend & DevOps
Integrations
Project Outcomes
Measurable results and achievements
Market Performance
- 15M+ downloads across iOS and Android platforms
- Top 10 Entertainment app in multiple markets during key content launches
- 4.3+ star average rating across App Store and Google Play
Streaming Performance
- 99.0% playback success rate across all supported devices
- <3 second video start time on standard broadband connections
- HD streaming support with adaptive bitrate optimization
Technical Excellence
- 99.7% crash-free session rate in production
- 40% reduction in video start time through optimization
- 45% reduction in storage footprint through cache optimization
Content Launches
- Successfully supported major original series launches (RuPaul's Drag Race, Jersey Shore, Teen Mom)
- Delivered reliable streaming for the MTV Video Music Awards and other special events
- Maintained 99.5% uptime during high-traffic premiere events
Project Links
Current brand destination; standalone app listings are no longer available
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