Development and implementation of the PLAY NOW Internet TV (OTT) system
About our client
- Play
Start cooperation: 2018
Market segment: VOD
Play is part of the multinational Iliad Group providing
telecommunications services. In Poland, Play is the fastest growing mobile network, which combines modern technologies and great opportunities. Already 15 million subscribers across Poland have chosen to use Play's offer, which provides a wide range of services for individual and business customers - providing devices with and without subscription, personalized offers for contract renewers and new users, wireless, fixed, flexible and prepaid Internet, access to Internet TV.
PLAY NOW's service supports 4k@60fps content, tunneling, multi-key DRM for hundreds of thousands of users each day.
Characteristics
of the project
Development and implementation of the PLAY NOW Internet TV (OTT) system - a set of mobile applications (Android, iOS), a custom launcher for STB hardware platforms manufactured by SagemComm and SDMC (along with integrations with partners such as Netflix, HBO, Amazon, and a DVB-T/C tuner), applications for TVs and TV set-top boxes (AndroidTV, AppleTV). In addition, we have integrated Google Assistant, Play Integrity API, Mux, and created a backoffice service to oversee video streaming.
The quality of our solutions has been appreciated primarily by end users, and the dynamic development of the PLAY NOW platform has paid off in the form of our making more applications - such as our own launcher for STB devices, and versions of applications for AndroidTV and AppleTV. In 2022, Play merged with UPC Poland, acquiring 100% of shares from the Liberty Global group. Play's acquisition of a network of customers and a variety of infrastructure, STB devices, tuners, RCUs posed further integration challenges for N7 Mobile, both business and technological. The challenge of integrating another 1.6 million UPC customers and their devices, using 3.3 million services into the Play NOW network.
Apple TV • Home Screen
Apple TV • Movie Details
Apple TV • EPG Screen
Apple TV • Player
WWW • Home Screen
WWW • Search Screen
Android • Rent
Android • Channels
Android • Movie
Android • Player
Technological and business challenges
Play placed not only high demands in terms of adaptation to different infrastructure, limited capabilities of customer devices, but also presented high expectations in terms of functionality for the user and business value for the operator Play.
Design system, UX/UI
One of our tasks was to create UI designs for mobile platforms and tablets (Android devices, iPhone/iPad), as well as designing the look of applications for TV platforms (AppleTV). We worked according to the Design System concept, defining components, colour scheme and behaviours common between the different platforms, using Figma and Adobe XD.
Television for everyone
We support the whole range of screen sizes, with UI and navigation tailored to the device. Starting with phones, tablets and even multi-decade devices operated by remote control.
PLAY NOW application on STB device
We encountered requirements such as: the use of APIs that minimise the platform load, creating consistency of function and design between platforms, integration with multiple devices, each with different audio/video decoders, or the multitude of 3rd party vendor integrations required.
Playback functions
PLAY NOW offers the possibility to watch programmes up to 7 days back, as well as Timeshift, bEPG or watching Live programmes from the beginning. Cloud recording, setting reminders are also possible.
Continue viewing on another platform
The ability to start watching video on one platform and then seamlessly continue watching on another. Further enhanced by automatic login functions (on mobile devices and STBs)
Monetisation, SVOD and TVOD functionalities
PLAY NOW supports a wide range of content, including both subscription-based content (SVOD) and film rentals (TVOD). The purchase of products is possible directly through billing with the PLAY operator.
Technologies used
Automatic and manual user authentication flow
Live video streaming
Backwards EPG
On demand video streaming from SVOD libraries
Catch Up libraries and TVOD
SVOD purchase process
nPVR recordings (ordering, playing and canceling recordings)
Follow-Me-Content (continuation of assets that were watched on other devices)
Managing settings for quality, subtitles and audio
Self-care menu
PIN management
Search (voice and written)
Notifications and push messages presentation
DVB-T/C channels
Applications menu
TVOD purchase process
EPG grid
Netflix integration
Amazon integration
Diagnostic module
They constantly adjust to produce the best high-quality software to meet our needs. The robust product now provides enhanced, comprehensive client interaction. Transparent, flexible, and engaged, N7 fostered a responsive and cohesive collaboration with the in-house team. The team reacted well to frequent changes and strives to deliver thoughtful, up-to-date solutions.
Kornel Zątek
Director of Service Development Department
Summary
Average rating in application shops 4,5
Active users per month 500k+
Application stability (Crashlytics) 99.89%
The strategic PLAY NOW project implemented by N7 Mobile allowed
our client, Play , to achieve key business challenges, while being a unique technology project in which we developed applications for both multiple platforms and integrated with an exceptionally large number of internal
and external partners.
We've created a product that can compete with apps like Netflix, HBO MAX and Disney+ - it offers both the ability to run on virtually any screen anywhere, is highly optimized (making it run really fast) and has a competitive feature set. And all this with high user satisfaction confirmed by both in-store ratings and market research conducted by PLAY.
