BritBox is the British streaming service created by BBC and ITV, and its Android app is built around one idea: decades of British television in a single catalogue. I contributed to that app, where boxsets sit alongside exclusive premieres, original series, and live channels, all under profile-based browsing that resumes playback from wherever you left off.
The catalogue is the product. Full-series boxsets of dramas, comedies, soaps, and classic archive content are organised into curated collections and genre rails, so navigating a long-running series feels intentional rather than a flat list of episodes.
Features
- On-Demand Catalogue: A deep library of British boxsets, films, and exclusive originals, organised into curated collections and genre rails with full-series boxset navigation
- Live Channels: Stream linear British TV channels in-app, with the ability to jump straight from a live broadcast into related on-demand episodes
- Offline Downloads: Save shows and films to the device for viewing without a connection, with quality options and download management to control storage use
- Profiles & Continue Watching: Per-profile recommendations and a continue-watching row that resumes playback from where it stopped, synced across the user’s devices
- Casting & TV Output: Google Cast support and external-display playback so content can move from phone or tablet to the living-room screen
- Adaptive HD Playback: Adaptive bitrate streaming that adjusts to network conditions to keep playback smooth, with HD output where the title and device allow
Where Live and On-Demand Meet
The detail that shapes a lot of the work is the bridge between linear channels and the boxset library. A viewer can watch a live British channel and step directly from the broadcast into the related on-demand episodes, so the two catalogues, one scheduled and one browsable, behave like a single experience. That crossover drives how playback, entitlement, and continue-watching state are wired together on the client.
Tech Stack
- Native Android, written in Kotlin
- ExoPlayer (Media3) for adaptive HLS/DASH playback with track and quality selection
- Widevine DRM for licensed content protection on protected streams
- Offline download and license-management layer for encrypted local playback
- REST API integration for catalogue, search, playback, and entitlement data
- Google Cast SDK for casting to TV devices
- Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics for usage insight and crash reporting
Frequently Asked Questions
What platform is the BritBox app built for? It is a native Android app written in Kotlin, published on Google Play for BBC and ITV’s British streaming service.
How does offline viewing work? Shows and films can be downloaded to the device with quality options and download management. A license-management layer keeps the encrypted content playable locally, so episodes stay available without a connection.
Can I watch on a TV? Yes. The app supports Google Cast and external-display output, so content on a phone or tablet can move to the living-room screen.