Julian Clover interviews Stanislas Leridon, President of Dotscreen, at IBC 2024. Dotscreen specializes in developing and maintaining video streaming apps for various devices like smart TVs and game consoles. They offer both bespoke and off-the-shelf UI/UX solutions to content providers and broadcasters, depending on customer needs. For tier-one clients with existing back-ends, Dotscreen provides the necessary streaming apps and interfaces them with the clients’ back-end systems.
In scenarios requiring full solutions, Dotscreen pre-integrates their apps with major back-end providers like Comcast Technology Solutions or JWP. This allows them to offer comprehensive OTT solutions. The company emphasizes organizing workshops with customers to align technical, product, and marketing teams, ensuring smooth integration of third-party elements like analytics and advertising for a high-quality product delivered on time.
Dotscreen distinguishes itself from other app developers by avoiding development frameworks, particularly for low-end devices. Using frameworks can lead to bulky code that hampers performance on these devices. Instead, Dotscreen focuses on optimizing user experience and app performance, which has attracted large companies like Discovery that faced issues with other solutions.
The company works with both large and small clients, from major telecoms like Vodafone and Orange to smaller entities. Their background in set-top boxes and video, rather than web development, gives them a unique edge in the market. This experience makes Dotscreen agile and pragmatic in addressing diverse client needs.
Leridon highlights the growing number of TV operating systems, with new entrants like Titan OS and Whale joining established ones from Samsung, LG, Google, and Apple. This technical fragmentation poses challenges, but Dotscreen aims to make it manageable and sustainable for their customers. The diversification of operating systems extends beyond TVs to other connected devices, indicating a broader market opportunity.
Dotscreen is already expanding into new areas, including car applications and devices like the Vision Pro. The proliferation of screens and operating systems presents more opportunities for Dotscreen to deploy their apps. The interview concludes with appreciation for the dynamic and evolving nature of the video streaming app industry.
