Play: a next level streaming platform

A headless streaming platform

Wieni launched play.tv in January 2021 for Play Media (formerly SBS Belgium), evolving its precursors vier.be, vijf.be and zestv.be. Today, we continue to enhance the platform with new features, performance improvements, and strategic guidance.

What is Play?

Play is Play Media’s flagship streaming service in Belgium, offering viewers on-demand access to hit shows like De Mol, Dancing With The Stars, Big Brother and De Slimste Mens ter Wereld. It caters to the diverse tastes of Flemish audiences, providing free and subscription content across web, mobile and smart TV. Security, reliability, and a personalised user experience are at its core.

How did Wieni help?

With ambitions to create a next‑level streaming experience, Play Media partnered with Wieni to overhaul content management, frontend performance, infrastructure and app integrations. As a full‑service digital partner, we took ownership of:

• Strategic planning and UX/UI design

• Backend and frontend development

• Headless CMS architecture

• Scalable cloud hosting & SLA

• Feature roll‑outs, ad integration, analytics

• Ongoing maintenance and optimization

Five highlights

1. Drupal‑based headless CMS
   We built a robust solution to manage a vast, multi‑type video library, series, clips, extras, while enabling rapid editorial control across platforms and languages.

2. Next.js front‑end with SSG
   A high‑performance Next.js frontend uses static site generation and dynamic rendering for snappy page loads, seamless navigation, and smooth streaming.

3. Elastic, cloud‑native infrastructure
   Hosted on AWS (with Vercel for frontend), the platform scales to meet peak demand, guaranteeing near‑100% uptime and a resilient viewer experience.

4. Custom video player with THEO Technologies
   Our branded player delivers premium playback with DRM protection, supporting preroll and midroll ads and responsive interactivity, all within Play Media’s design system.

5. Engagement tools & app integrations
   We built interactive features around Play originals and flagship programs to drive loyalty. Native apps and Smart TV integrations use unified APIs to deliver a consistent experience across devices.

What started as a refresh of the former vier.be, vijf.be and zestv.be platforms has transformed into Play, a modern, scalable, and feature-rich streaming hub. Our ongoing collaboration continues to evolve with new insights, smart optimisations, and user-focused innovations.

Curious to explore more of our cases? Check out Floorify for an in-depth look at our next-level headless e-commerce implementation.

Let's work together!

Interested in a collaboration? Send a mail to Wietse.