In Playback Discovery

For people still paying traditional cable Discovery gives access to stream the network via the aggregated TV everywhere apps. Discovery has 15+ networks all of which have their own branded app where they can stream as long as they sign into their cable provider.

In 2021, I helped launch their aggregated TV apps where cable subscribers could now stream any discovery owned network in one single app.

Before our aggregated TV everywhere apps, users had to switch apps to stream other networks. After launching the aggregated app viewers could now stream any network on a single app however we saw an opportunity to further improve it further. What if we provided the opportunity to switch networks directly from within playback?

I looked at a few versions one of my favorites being how we could potentially bring the player out from its traditional IA and bring it right into right into the discovery page. This caused so many issues with back stack and navigation, but it was the most seem-less way to get right into playback and still be able to browse. Ultimately refining the IA and navigation was the most complex part of this project.

After a few design cycles and reviews, the version below was the most effective while also taking into consideration scope. When a user tabs on Live, they are taken immediately into playback where they are presented with limited Live TV controls and the full suite of networks. As they toggle between the networks, the stream will autoplay in the background giving a channel flipping experience.