Watch Together
Evolving the social viewing experience
Scaling the co-viewing experience, driving a 74% increase in rooms created after launch.
Company
Sky
Role
Strategy, UX/UI design
Status
Launched 2025
Starting point
Sky Live launched with Watch Together, a way for customers to watch TV together while on a video call. Following the MVP launch, I designed the next phase of Watch Together.
Outcomes
We achieved what we set out to do. Reach more customers and make Watch Together more valuable.
Business impact
74%
More rooms created in the first month
18%
Increate in rooms with more than 2 households
3x
More minutes streamed in first month
By removing the Sky Live device barrier, existing Sky Live customers had more people they could watch with. Plus other Sky customers could now experience Watch Together.
Opportunity
Customers liked the idea of watching together, but the experience only worked if other people also had Sky Live.
Main reason for using less than expected
*Exact numbers hidden
Sky Live customer satisfaction survey 2024
Customer feedback
*Customer feedback from home visits
The opportunity was clear
Make it easier for customers to watch together, by removing the barriers preventing more people from joining
Aligning before designing
Before jumping into design, the team came together to explore the opportunity. I facilitated a Crazy 8s exercise to generate ideas, gather perspectives and align on solutions.
Designing around platform dependencies
Users needed an identity to support the new experience, but the wider Sky profile project was still further down the roadmap.
The trade-off
Waiting for a full profile solution would have delayed the release, so we chose a lightweight screen name experience that solved the immediate need while remaining compatible with the long-term vision.
Removing barriers to joining
To expand the user base, we needed to create a way for customers to join without owning Sky Live. We decided on a responsive web app.
Journey mapping
I mapped the joining journey across devices to understand where customers would enter the experience, what information they needed and where friction could occur.
Design systems
I created a responsive design system for the web app that matched the TV experience, ensuring a consistent experience across devices.
Collaborating with engineering
I worked closely with engineering to create a responsive video grid that balanced technical constraints with a consistent viewing experience across devices.
Reflection
This project reinforced that the biggest opportunities often come from removing barriers rather than adding more features. The 74% increase in rooms created showed that solving the right customer problem had a bigger impact than simply introducing new functionality.
The biggest wins came from removing friction, not adding features.
Looking back, I would have loved to explore more social features, such as persistent groups and integrating the web app into the Sky Go app. While these ideas were deprioritised, the project taught me the importance of balancing long-term vision with delivering value sooner through incremental improvements.
