Product Unleashed – Behind TV Apps + When ‘Too Easy’ Backfires

Stephen Down is a Senior Product Manager at Channel 4, specialising in building high performing streaming apps for the biggest screen in the home.

He’s spent years shaping TV experiences at major UK broadcasters, tackling platform fragmentation, performance constraints and all the quirks that make doing product on TV Apps a whole world of its own.

He regularly writes and speaks about the realities of Connected TV product development, sharing lessons from building and scaling TV apps across diverse platforms and fast changing user behaviours. His industry contributions unpack everything from platform limitations and UX challenges to experimentation gaps and the future of big screen viewing.

Behind the Streams: The untold story of TV App Product Management

Forget what you know about doing Product Management on web and mobile – TV is a whole different ball game. You’re juggling dozens of platforms & stakeholders, designing for a lean-back user experience, and working in an environment where optimal performance is everything. Add in the giants like Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube as competitors, and standing out gets tough.

In this session, Steve will pull back the curtain on:

– What makes TV product management so different
– The skills you need to succeed in streaming
– How you can break into one of the most exciting areas in product today

If you’ve ever thought about working in streaming or just want to know what happens behind the biggest screen in the house, this talk is for you.