INTRODUCTIONThe new face of Slovak news
TV Markíza is Slovakia’s most-watched television network, and its news portal tnlive.sk (formerly tvnoviny.sk) attracts hundreds of thousands of daily visitors. Following a successful collaboration on the Voyo streaming platform, the client approached us to create a new news application for iOS and Android. The goal was to replace the web-based video player with a native one, align the app with the brand's new visual identity, introduce new content formats, and deliver a significantly better video and live streaming experience.
OutputsUX designUI designMobile appTesting
CategoryNews
TechnologiesKotlin MultiplatformCompose MultiplatformWebViewPushWooshDidomi
CHALLENGECombining native performance with web flexibility
The original app ran into the limitations of a web player, which failed to provide a sufficiently smooth user experience (UX) on mobile devices. While the client initially considered developing fully native apps for each platform, the budget required a more cost-effective approach. Simultaneously, a redesign of the tnlive.sk website was underway, requiring visual and content consistency across all channels. The main challenge was designing a hybrid solution that cleverly integrates native elements with a WebView environment, maintains a consistent cross-platform experience, and enables future growth without unnecessary overhead.
WEB
APP
SOLUTIONA native core in a hybrid app
Choosing a modern tech stack – Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) and Compose Multiplatform (CMP) – proved to be the key to success. This technology allows sharing both logic and a large portion of the UI between iOS and Android, combining native components with WebViews exactly where it makes sense:
- Native components: Performance-critical parts requiring high fluidity – such as the video player, main navigation, live streaming, and short-form videos – were built natively.
- WebView layer: Editorial content runs via an optimized WebView, allowing rapid updates directly through the web CMS.
Key benefits for the client:
- Faster, more efficient development: A smart architecture based on KMP and CMP cuts costs while preserving a native user experience in key areas.
- Seamless content management: Updates made on the web reflect in the app instantly, without needing to submit a new build to the App Store or Google Play.
Our scope also included end-to-end UX/UI design, API architecture, product specifications, and close coordination with the client’s web development team.
Categories (Native)
Content (Web)
Navigation (Native)
HIGHLIGHTSThe best of web and native
This project demonstrates that an app doesn't always need to be 100% native – a smart combination of native components and WebViews often delivers far better ROI. A well-architected hybrid model delivers maximum performance with significant cost savings:
- Enhanced user experience: A native video player and core UI elements ensure a high-quality experience without requiring a full app rewrite.
- Vertical videos (Shorts): A key feature of the app – popular vertical videos – was built as a fully native component to guarantee instant, fluid playback and an immersive viewing experience.
- Targeted push notifications: We integrated PushWoosh for real-time delivery of breaking news alerts.
- Consent management and monetization: To maintain GDPR compliance and support in-stream ad monetization, we deployed Didomi to handle cookies and user consent.
- Unified analytics: In collaboration with the web team, we ensured seamless data tracking and user measurement across both native and web environments.
The result is a modern news app that delivers a native experience where it matters most, while saving the client time and money on development and content operations.
FAQ
A hybrid approach is ideal when you want to offer a high-quality mobile experience without investing in a 100% native build. A typical setup combines native components for core interactions with WebViews for frequently changing content. This drastically lowers development and maintenance costs without sacrificing UX where it counts.
Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) is a technology that enables sharing code between iOS and Android applications. Compose Multiplatform (CMP) extends this concept to the user interface (UI). Instead of building two separate apps, developers can share a large portion of both business logic and UI code, resulting in faster development, lower costs, and cross-platform consistency.
Native screens are used for performance-heavy tasks or hardware integration (e.g., video player, navigation, push notifications), while WebViews handle content managed directly via a web CMS. The key is designing the architecture so transitions between the two environments feel seamless to the user.
A native player delivers higher performance, smoother playback, gesture controls, and more reliable integration with device features than an embedded web player. For video- or live-stream-centric apps, upgrading to a native player is often the single biggest boost to overall UX.
Native development is best suited for features that directly drive core UX or require hardware integration – such as video playback, navigation, authentication, or camera access. Content-heavy pages or articles, on the other hand, can be served efficiently via WebViews.
A complete native rewrite can be time-consuming and expensive. If a well-structured web product already exists, keeping content in WebViews while natively building core interactions is far more efficient. It yields faster time-to-market, simpler content management, and lower long-term costs.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Native apps offer maximum performance; cross-platform development with Kotlin Multiplatform speeds up builds by sharing code; and hybrid models balance UX, budget, and speed by blending native screens with WebViews. The right choice depends on product goals, budget, and target audience needs.
Yes. We applied a modern software development lifecycle on the project, integrating AI tools for greater speed and precision. Specifications were drafted with AI assistance and continuously validated directly against the codebase. Based on these precise requirements, AI agents collaborated with developers to outline an implementation plan and write code using Test-Driven Development (TDD). Top-tier quality was guaranteed by a two-stage code review – first by an AI agent, then by a senior developer – complemented by automated agentic testing.
Team
ManagementSoňa Daneshjoová
DesignMatyáš LinhartEva Menšíková
AndroidJan Mottl
iOSVladislav Komkov
TestingMariya Vorona
