The best live streams & videos from 20 Minuten are now also available on Samsung Smart TV, Apple TV, and Android TV!

The popular news portal 20 Minuten has gained a new platform: From now on, the attractive range of 20 Minuten can be enjoyed on the TV screen from the comfort of your sofa via the Smart TV app!

This includes the interactive news program NOW!, live streams on current topics, and entertainment formats such as «Phil’s Fails», the community series «Mini Gschicht» and «News Juice», a moderated entertainment news format.

The challenges in UX conception

When we were asked last year to design and implement a smart TV app for 20 Minuten, we were immediately excited. We had experience with TV apps, yet specific challenges arise with every project. On the one hand, the TV app had to be designed in the style of 20 Minuten’s existing web and app CI/CD, while at the same time being TV- and target group-oriented. Simple in principle, but as we all know, the crux lies in the details.

It was important to make it as easy as possible for the user to navigate through the extensive content, but at the same time to inspire him to take a look at what else the app has to offer in terms of information and entertainment.

Another important premise was that the app should be aimed primarily at a young target group. As a benchmark, we looked at TV apps that are popular with young people, such as YouTube and Netflix. During the UX phase, a lot of know-how and feedback from various stakeholders were incorporated.

Live TV, News & Entertainment

Current news from home and abroad

Videos with playback option and comments

Omnipresent, fold-out menu bar for easy navigation

Dynamic content structure, focus on performance

Various interfaces such as Live TV, NOW!, videos, and new advertising formats had to be integrated in such a way that the app also plays on older TV models with high performance and continues to run seamlessly during content changes such as finished live broadcasts.

The solution provides 20 Minutes with the ability to dynamically adjust menu structure and UX elements at any time without the need for a new app release.

To ensure that the app meets the high-performance requirements of the audience, our Quality Assurer/Testers were highly challenged. The apps had to be tested on TV models from 2017 to 2021 and – in addition to the «happy path» test cases – attention had to be paid to possible application errors and to ensuring simple usability.

The 20 Minutes TV App is available for Samsung Smart TV, Apple TV, and Android TV.