NetRom pilots React Native for cross-platform apps at NLZIET

NLZIET offers viewers on-demand access to TV channels and programs across multiple devices through its online platform. Operating on a subscription model, users can access content via web browsers and dedicated apps. However, developing and maintaining separate apps for various platforms has proven to be a significant challenge. One potential solution is React Native, a framework that allows for the development of cross-platform apps using a single codebase. Through a Proof of Concept (PoC), NetRom is investigating whether this technology can help NLZIET build and maintain apps more efficiently and effectively.

NLZIET was founded in 2014 by NPO, RTL, and Talpa, the media company of John de Mol. At that time, linear TV viewing was still the standard, and telecom and cable companies dominated the market. The only variation on traditional TV viewing back then was Uitzending Gemist; online, YouTube was the market leader. NLZIET was the first provider to offer a subscription allowing users to watch content from NPO, RTL, and Talpa online and without ads.

In the beginning, NLZIET was not a big success, admits Sander Kouwenhoven: “The platform charged money for something that was also available for free.” Earlier in his career, he had worked as a lead developer at a software company involved in the development of NLZIET. A few years later, he joined NLZIET as CTO. “I didn’t have to think long about this step because my earlier work for NLZIET was part of the best project I had done so far. A fun detail is that I am listed as user number 1 in the NLZIET database. After all, testing was necessary once development was done.”

Some time after its launch, NLZIET shifted its course. Instead of only offering catch-up viewing, viewers were given the ability to watch live TV and some programs could also be watched in advance. Kouwenhoven: “This made NLZIET a competitor to cable providers’ offerings, something known in this market as ‘cord-cutting.’ The arrival of Netflix in the Netherlands also gave a boost to cord-cutting.”

Cable and telecom companies originally held a large market share through the triple play model: a combination of fixed telephony, fixed internet, and a package of radio and TV channels. NLZIET now offers a so-called ‘skinny bundle’: a selection of the most important channels at a significantly lower price than the cable providers’ packages, according to Kouwenhoven. “Today we are part of a very broad range of online video services, but we are still growing.”

NLZIET’s offerings are accessible via apps for Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, and smart TVs. There are also mobile apps available for Android and iOS. Essential components across all these formats include a good video player, a user-friendly guide with options to watch programs in advance, live, or on-demand, and the ability to serve commercials per user or not. The last feature, in particular, places high demands on the technology. The challenge for NLZIET: these functionalities need to be custom-developed for every platform and app.

For all these platforms and apps, NLZIET has worked for years with a fixed IT service provider experienced in the different platforms. Developing the apps internally is not feasible given NLZIET’s current scale, Kouwenhoven explains. “We develop the back-end ourselves with an internal team of .Net developers. But for the different apps, we would need to hire one or two specialized developers per platform. That is a too vulnerable and costly model.”

React Native, an open-source UI software framework that enables the development of applications for Android, Android TV, iOS, macOS, tvOS, and web, could bring change in this area. In other words: React Native makes it possible to develop apps for multiple platforms using a single codebase. “That seems to be an important technology,” says Kouwenhoven, who wanted to investigate whether this technology is well suited for the domain of video apps.

“That domain is much more complex than the average app with some images, text, and a few APIs. The challenges mainly lie in combining the video player with the TV guide and playback on tvOS. If applicable, it could contribute to simplification, acceleration, and cost savings,” explains Kouwenhoven. Working with React Native could also make it possible to build an internal development team if needed.

To explore the technology, NLZIET chose to collaborate with a team bringing a fresh perspective to a new challenge, instead of working with their usual development partner, who was not familiar with React Native, or outsourcing the work to freelance developers. The latter would have been a significant challenge, as there are hardly any developers experienced with this specific combination.

“The choice for NetRom was partly based on previous positive experiences from my personal work history and also the hourly rates they offered. As a developer, you always think your own code is best; developers tend to be extra critical of what others produce. I remember being very impressed with the quality of NetRom’s work at that time. Additionally, the clearly defined, standalone nature of the assignment was a good test for us to investigate whether nearshoring could be a valid solution for NLZIET.”

The assignment NLZIET gave to NetRom was to develop a Proof of Concept (PoC) for an app based on React Native. “For the PoC specifications, we focused on the most challenging elements, so this project was primarily about technological challenges rather than a polished look and feel. The PoC had to perform as well as our current apps,” Kouwenhoven explains.

The intended outcome: answers to questions about the possibilities of app development with React Native. This made it a well-defined project with a strictly agreed-upon budget in hours. “Once the budget was used up, it was used up. We didn’t need to bring the PoC into production. But we did want to be able to test and evaluate the PoC.”

Although NetRom had experience with React Native, they had less experience with online video players in that environment. “It was a project with an uncertain outcome: the technology might fall short or NetRom’s team might not succeed. We noted these as risks upfront and agreed that if either happened, we would stop; then we would not continue with React Native.”

The development process started in the fall of 2024 and lasted about three months. A “blended team” approach was used: on NLZIET’s side, there was a front-end lead, a back-end lead, and Kouwenhoven himself involved “as a sort of product owner”; on NetRom’s side, two developers and a tester were working. “We visited the NetRom Campus in Romania and exchanged a lot of information among all team members over a few days. It’s important to physically meet each other at the start of a new project. That way, you know who you’re working with, and there’s plenty of time to explain what kind of online service NLZIET is. The discussions quickly get technical, so it’s helpful when all specialists are together in the same room.”

NetRom values agile working methods. Was there prior consultation about the non-agile approach of this fast-paced project? And did NetRom have enough guidance?

“For us, it was also an unusual project: here was a budget and we wanted a rudimentary version of our app on new technology. We held daily stand-ups and exchanged many questions and answers on an ad hoc basis via Slack. Since our customers wouldn’t come into contact with the PoC, we could keep the tickets somewhat general: sometimes it was about improving components where it was enough to demonstrate whether a certain function would work. We did hold refinement sessions: does everyone understand the goal? After each sprint, we received new test versions immediately.”

“Even without strict agile principles, you can work well in an agile cadence. The NetRom team had sufficiently specified instructions, and we adhered to a meticulous schedule. Ultimately, the project had many characteristics of a Kanban approach.” Kanban is a visual method to make workflows transparent with the goal of optimizing throughput times.

In less than three months, the team delivered an app that met all technical requirements, says Kouwenhoven with satisfaction. “With this, NetRom has validated a theory for NLZIET that will be decisive for the technology choices we need to make in the near future. We now know that React Native as a new technology is suitable for our platform. And we also know what needs to be done to make the transition to this new technology. Of course, during development, we also encountered problems. Through this project, we were able to gather learnings about very specific app functionalities where React Native presents obstacles.”

“If the outcome had been that React Native was not a suitable solution, we would have continued with our existing technology stack. Moreover, there is no immediate need to switch; legacy is not like a millstone around our neck.”

The project also provided other insights. “The NLZIET team is still relatively small, so everyone knows each other and collaboration is very easy. That’s a good foundation to handle app development in-house: everyone is more closely involved. This contributes to speed and quality. However, given the complexity of this new technology, it would take a considerable amount of time to properly equip NLZIET’s IT team. You need to be able to fully absorb working with a new technology within your own organization. Such a team has to be built, let alone finding the right people.”

“Another positive outcome of the project is that we experienced very good collaboration with NetRom,” says Kouwenhoven. “If there’s ever a large project where we get stuck ourselves, that is definitely an option we will keep in reserve. I can also imagine a development process with a hybrid start, where we work together with NetRom and gradually take on more ourselves.”

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