Launch Blueprint

Phase 0 — Decision inputs

Before writing a line of code, lock in your scope inputs:

• Markets + rights — Which territories will you launch in? Do you have cleared rights for all content in those markets?
• Devices — Web is fastest to iterate. iOS/Android reach your core audience. Smart TVs and CTV extend reach but add QA/certification overhead.
• Monetization model — SVOD, AVOD, TVOD, hybrid? Each drives different payment, entitlement, and analytics requirements.
• "Must-have" integrations — Billing, analytics, CDN, DRM, CRM, SSO. Define which are blockers vs. post-launch nice-to-haves.

Phase 1 — MVP Build

With inputs locked, build the smallest product that delivers your core value proposition:

• Content model and CMS — Movies vs. series/seasons/episodes, channels/EPG, availability windows, geo restrictions.
• UX navigation — Catalog browsing, search, playback, profiles (if needed).
• Payments and entitlements — Stripe, in-app billing, plan management.
• Analytics instrumentation — Define the minimum event set now. Retrofitting analytics post-launch is expensive.

Phase 2 — QA & Certification

Smart TV and CTV app stores have review processes that regularly surprise teams:

• Run your device test matrix across every target platform before submission.
• Budget for 2–4 weeks of device-specific bug fixing and resubmission cycles.
• Review Smart TV approval expectations — UI/UX rules, performance targets, certification steps.

Phase 3 — Go-Live

A clean go-live is operationally choreographed, not just technically enabled:

• Stand up monitoring dashboards before launch day.
• Write your incident runbook (who gets paged, escalation path, rollback steps).
• Sequence device rollout by priority (use the device priority guide).
• Schedule your first iteration sprint for 2 weeks post-launch.

Download the full go-live checklist for the complete pre-launch gate.