Blockbuster

A platform providing fast and high-quality transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) to its customers

Project idea

Create a streaming service that allows viewers in the Nordic region to purchase or rent high-quality movies and TV series.

Target audience

Viewers across the Nordic region (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway)

Project challenges

Create a sophisticated filtering system

Implement a parental control feature

Allow offline access to purchased movies (iOS, Android)

Integrate a payment system for purchasing/renting movies

Non-standard development approach with management, testing, and design on client’s side and engineering on our side

Results

Our team developed a complex search system and created video players for iOS and Android. We’ve designed a completely new UI, built iOS, reengineered Android and Android TV apps, and partially moved to GraphQL.

App Store

Google Play

Planning stage

Input

The client initially had:

Ready-made Android app
Android TV apps that did not satisfy customers' requirements
Custom UI design..

Analysis

We did a careful project analysis:

Code review
Tech stack review
Meetings with Account Manager

Outcomes

Our work resulted in:

Defining list of tech requirements
Putting a project team together
Reengineering Android and Android TV apps
Changing old UI to the one provided by the client

Wireframes

Design

Main features of the project

After the planning stage, our developers started working on the platform.

Clip cards for renting movies

Users can buy clip cards for renting any three movies from all available on the platform. The card is a payment method that works on all devices and allows users to rent movies. Once a user starts the rental period, they can watch a movie as many times as they want within 48 hours.

Viewing progress

Viewers always keep track of their watching process. Even if they’ve closed a movie and decided to get back to it later. As the platform saves viewed movies and progress in a user profile, customers can play the video again at any moment. Or check how much time is left without even hitting the play button.

Parental control

Movies are sorted out by rating: allowed for all, for all but kids under 7, under 11 or 15 years. Thus, parents can set restrictions for their underaged kids in their profiles. If a movie falls into the 'restricted' category, the platform asks viewers to enter a password to get access to the video.

Working across all platforms

Our team was working on this product with cross-platform capabilities in mind. Users can watch their library via native apps for Android, iOS, Android TV, and tvOS. There is also a web version and support for video streaming from mobile devices to TVs via Chromecast and AirPlay.

Tech stack

The following tools were used to build mobile, TV, and web apps

Henrik Loop

Chief Technical Officer at Blockbuster, TDC of Blockbuster

“We’re very happy with Cleveroad. They seem to work in the way that we do, and we have a close collaboration with them. Every day we talk to the developers and outline what needs to be done. In that sense, they’re good listeners and eager to understand what the setup we do. They’re always very helpful. ”