The Live Experience - ITVX
Overview
As part of ITV’s transition from ITV Hub to ITVX, the company was moving from a broadcaster first service to a streaming first platform. The relaunch introduced FAST channels and expanded live programming alongside new content acquisitions such as Warner Bros.
The new platform also needed to launch ahead of the World Cup, which created a fixed delivery timeline for the redesign.
Within the wider redesign, I was responsible for shaping the live streaming experience across the browser and app platforms. The goal was to modernise how users discover and watch live content while keeping the experience familiar for audiences accustomed to broadcast television.
The Challenge
On ITV Hub, live content had largely been treated as a secondary feature. Discovery was limited to a navigation link and a small homepage rail, which meant users often had to actively search for live channels.
At the same time, the brief for the new experience was vague. Internally the ambition was often described as making live feel 'immersive', but there was no shared definition of what that meant in practice.
The redesign also had to balance several competing priorities:
- Live viewing needed to grow with the introduction of FAST channels.
- VOD remained the primary commercial focus.
- The design system was evolving alongside the redesign.
- The World Cup launch created a fixed delivery deadline.
Discovery
To better understand how live streaming experiences work across modern platforms, I reviewed several competitor products including BBC iPlayer, Prime Video and Pluto TV. This analysis focused on how different platforms handle channel browsing, programme discovery and live playback interactions.
Alongside this research, I explored multiple interaction models through quick ideation exercises and low‑fidelity wireframes. The goal was to understand how browsing and playback could work together without interrupting the viewing experience.
One clear pattern emerged during this exploration: many streaming products treat browsing and playback as separate tasks, which often forces users to leave the stream when exploring other content.
Designing the Live Player
Early prototypes explored a player interface where browsing controls appeared when users interacted with the video and disappeared after a short delay. This allowed users to explore channels and programme information while keeping the stream visible.
In testing, participants quickly understood the behaviour and were able to browse channels while continuing to watch the stream.
Adapting to Advertising Constraints
During internal reviews, leadership raised concerns about interface elements appearing over advertising. Because adverts are a key part of ITV’s business model, the decision was made to avoid UI elements appearing over the video during ad breaks.
This meant the original approach needed to change.
I redesigned the browsing interface as a persistent side panel that allowed users to explore channels and programme information without covering the video.
Rethinking the TV Guide
During the redesign, some stakeholders proposed removing the TV guide entirely. It was often viewed as a legacy broadcast feature that did not align with ITVX’s ambition to position itself as a modern streaming platform.
However, the behaviour behind the data told a different story.
Although the page showed high drop off rates, research suggested many users were using the guide as a planning tool. They would check the schedule and return later when a programme was about to start.
Because of this behaviour, I argued that the TV guide should be retained and redesigned rather than removed.
The updated version focused on improving scanability, clarifying programme information and connecting the guide more directly with the live playback experience.
Before
After
Expanding Live Discovery
Before the redesign, live content was mainly accessed through a navigation link or a small homepage rail.
With the introduction of FAST channels and additional live programming, discovery needed to work across multiple areas of the platform.
I introduced several new surfaces where live content could appear during normal browsing. These included live channel tiles within editorial rails, “On Now” tags on programme pages and “Coming Soon” tags for upcoming broadcasts.
These changes allowed live programming to appear more naturally across the platform rather than relying on a single entry point.
Homepage Live Hero
Homepage Event Rail
Pre event landing page
Outcome
The redesigned live experience launched as part of the ITVX relaunch ahead of the World Cup.
The work introduced FAST channels and significantly expanded how live programming is discovered across the platform.
Together, the playback interaction model, discovery surfaces and redesigned TV guide formed a more coherent live experience across ITVX.
These patterns were integrated with the evolving design system so they could scale consistently across the web and app platforms.
