TSN Android app: news, videos and live broadcasts all in one app

For TSN — one of Ukraine’s largest news media organisations — we developed an updated version of its Android app: a news feed, push notifications, picture-in-picture video, live TV broadcasts and podcasts, all in one app. This case study focuses on the product features available at the time of the update’s release.

Client

TSN

Industry

Media

Services

mobile development, digital products for the media

Client’s website

tsn.ua

Requirement: an app that had fallen behind the content

The previous version of the app was designed for text-based news — yet by that time, the TSN editorial team was already operating as a multi-format media outlet: video, live TV broadcasts, podcasts. The audience was increasingly reading on their phones, and the mobile product needed to catch up with the editorial model: delivering all content formats quickly and in one place.

A feed designed for quick consumption

We built the interface around the main mobile use case — ‘open it, understand what’s happened within a minute’. Fast loading, readable typography, and a minimum number of steps from launch to the news story. For a news app, this isn’t just window dressing: users compare it not with other media outlets, but with a social media feed.

Push: our own news delivery channel

Push notifications about major events gave the editorial team a direct channel to the reader — without the intermediation of social media algorithms or search engine results. Breaking news would appear on a user’s phone screen when the editorial team decided it should, rather than when it was featured on a third-party service’s feed.

Picture-in-picture video

Video was already at the heart of TSN’s content at that time, so we implemented a picture-in-picture mode: the video minimises into a floating window, allowing the user to watch it whilst continuing to scroll through the feed or read other content. One activity doesn’t interrupt the other.

Live broadcasts and podcasts

We integrated live broadcasts of TSN’s television programmes into the app — a TV channel in your pocket, without the need for a separate player or website. Podcasts and audio formats were housed in a separate section. Together with text-based news and videos, the app brought together four content formats in a single product.

Part of a multi-platform ecosystem

The Android app was one of the platforms on which we developed TSN’s presence, alongside the tsn.ua website and the Apple TV app. For a major media organisation, this is a fundamental approach: the content is the same, but the delivery channels vary to suit the habits of each audience segment.

The result

• The updated app brought together four content formats — news, videos, live streams and podcasts — in a single product
• Push notifications gave the editorial team their own news delivery channel, independent of social media algorithms
• Picture-in-picture allows users to watch videos whilst reading the news feed without interrupting their experience
• The mobile product has aligned with TSN’s multi-format editorial model

Are you planning a mobile app for a media outlet or content product? Take a look at our approach to mobile app development and related case studies — the ‘ Forbes Ukraine ’ mobile app and the TSN website. Tell us about your project.