Challenge:

The live streaming platform lacked DVR-like features, forcing customers to lock users to either watch in real-time or miss content. Traditional DVR solutions stored large amounts of video, leading to high cloud storage costs and inefficiencies. During this project, I also had to lead the product management team through a period of uncertainty similar to my experience at Yahoo where the team lacked clear direction. I stepped in to provide leadership, align the team and ensure we were all focused on the same strategic objectives.

My Role & Approach:

- Leadership Through Chaos:
- In the face of a lack of direction and uncertainty within the product management organization, I stepped in to provide clarity, focus and alignment.
- I redefined the approach by setting clear, actionable priorities and ensured the product management team was aligned with the overall product vision and business goals.
- I fostered collaboration by creating a structured framework for communication and decision-making and by prioritizing daily check-ins to maintain focus and drive progress despite the chaos.
- Critical Questioning & Ideation:
- Asked key questions:
- "Why can't we do catch-up TV directly on the live stream instead of storing it?"
- "Why can't we geoblock at more granular levels to meet the demands of EU customers?"
- Led the ideation and creation of a per-session time-shifting feature, allowing users to pause, rewind and fast-forward within an hour of joining a live stream.
- Geoblocking & UX Design:
- Led the discovery and UX design for a per-session stream and CDN-based geoblocking solution.
- Optimized multi-CDN architecture to support a seamless streaming experience across different geographies.
- Cloud Storage & Cost Optimization:
- Focused on reducing cloud storage costs by eliminating the need to store large video files in favor of session-based streaming.

Key Outcomes:

- 35% increase in user engagement due to the introduction of time-shifting features, allowing users greater flexibility.
- 18% reduction in cloud storage costs compared to traditional DVR solutions, thanks to the shift to per-session time-shifting.
- 50% reduction in product launch time, enabling faster time-to-market for new features and updates.
- Successfully led the product management team through a period of uncertainty, aligning the team with strategic goals and ensuring on-time delivery despite internal challenges.