Norigin Diaries
Our Streaming TV Journal about
Tech, Product & Content in between!
One Codebase, Two Platforms: Spatial Navigation Comes to React Native
(July 2, 2026) – Every few years, a problem that’s been quietly annoying everyone finally gets solved, and it’s worth stopping to talk about why it mattered in the first place.
Remote-control navigation on CTV is one of those problems. It sounds simple: someone presses a direction on their remote, and focus should move to the next logical thing on screen. But if you’ve ever built a Smart TV app, you know it’s never that simple and it gets a lot messier the moment you’re building for more than one platform.
Apple TV and Android TV, in particular, have never played by the same rules. Apple’s focus engine is built around a touch-surface remote and its own opinionated model of what “focusable” means. Android TV is D-pad-driven, with a completely different focus-tree system underneath. Two philosophies, two APIs, two sets of edge cases — and if you wanted your navigation UX to feel equally polished on both, you were, in practice, building it twice.
We’d already solved a version of this problem on the web side. Norigin Spatial Navigation has been quietly powering directional navigation in web-based Smart TV apps for a while now — Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Vizio, Hisense VIDAA — with a simple, hook-based API that a lot of developers seem to genuinely like (90,000+ monthly downloads later, we’ll take it as a compliment). But native Apple TV and Android TV development sat outside that story. Every team building for both still had to duplicate the work.
After a beta cycle this spring that put the library through real deployments and a lot of developer feedback, we’ve shipped a React Native version of Spatial Navigation that closes that gap. Same hooks, same mental model — `useFocusable`, `FocusContext` — now running natively on Apple TV and Android TV through a dedicated adapter built for how these platforms actually work.
That meant solving some real technical problems, not just wrapping an existing API. Layout measurement on native TV platforms is asynchronous in a way the web never had to worry about, so we rebuilt that part of the library from the ground up rather than forcing a synchronous model onto native views. We also added a way to override the default focus-resolution logic for teams building more complex navigation patterns — carousels, modals, anything where “just go to the nearest thing” isn’t quite right.
We’re admittedly biased, but we think this is a bigger deal than “we added TV support to a web library.” Device fragmentation is consistently one of the top costs broadcasters and OTT providers point to when we ask what’s slowing them down. Every platform-specific rewrite is time and budget that isn’t going toward the actual viewing experience. An open-source, shared navigation layer that behaves correctly across web and native TV platforms doesn’t just save our own teams time, it’s infrastructure the whole industry can build on instead of everyone solving the same problem in isolation, again.
Get in touch with us – we specialize in Smart TV and CTV app development across all major platforms, and we’d love to hear what you’re building!
Reflections on IBC2025: Highlights, Misses, and What’s Next
(September 19, 2025) As another IBC in Amsterdam comes to a close, it’s time to take a step back and share some thoughts on the highlights of IBC2025, as well as where the show still leaves room for growth.
The Highlights: Future Tech and Streaming Innovation
The Future Tech Hub in Hall 14 was one of the most exciting areas this year. It gave us a look at the emerging technologies shaping the media and broadcast space, from AI-driven personalization to private 5G. What really stood out were the strong proof-of-concepts that hinted at how these innovations could be applied in real-world scenarios.
Over in Hall 5, the streaming zone was buzzing. Companies like Norigin Media showcased new case studies and references, including SoundCloud, Hearst Television, and several Nordic innovations in CTV and Smart TV apps. It was clear that the conversation is shifting more and more toward ROI-driven solutions and best-of-breed technology stacks, a sign of how the industry is maturing.
But beyond the exhibition halls, the real highlight was the networking. IBC2025 felt alive with energy thanks to the startups and niche technology players who brought fresh perspectives to the table. The mix of established vendors and new innovators created an environment where some of the best conversations happened off the show floor.
The Disappointments: Still Waiting for Tangible AI
That said, there was one area that left us a little underwhelmed – AI in broadcasting and streaming. Much like IBC2024, many of the bigger vendors stuck to incremental workflow improvements rather than truly transformative AI use cases.
It’s understandable, scaling AI across broadcast operations and streaming platforms takes time. But the event still felt too heavy on panel discussions and not enough on live demonstrations. Compared to the hands-on energy of CES 2025, IBC could have benefitted from more real product showcases, hardware demos, and practical AI applications in action.
Looking Ahead
Overall, IBC2025 was a reminder of both the incredible progress this industry is making and the gaps still left to close. The rise of CTV and Smart TV app innovation, the momentum of private 5G, and the focus on ROI-driven tech were all encouraging signs. At the same time, we’re still waiting to see AI move from concept to concrete deployment in a way that reshapes workflows and consumer experiences.
The good news? The conversations, partnerships, and networking at IBC are setting the stage for exactly that kind of transformation. Here’s hoping that by IBC2026, the industry shifts from talking about the future to showing us the future in action.
Get in touch with us at Norigin Media, we specialize in Smart TV and CTV app development across all major platforms. Whether you’re a broadcaster, content owner, or streaming service, we help deliver customized, ROI-driven solutions that bring your ideas to screens everywhere.
Norigin Spatial Navigation Named Finalist at Streaming Media Awards 2025
(Tuesday, September 9)
Norigin Spatial Navigation has been named a Runner-Up (Finalist) in the prestigious Streaming Media European Innovation Awards 2025, in the highly competitive Streaming Innovation of the Year category. Congratulations to NAGRAVISION – OpenTV ENTera, who captured the top prize, and to Techex – tx darwin, who joins us as a fellow Runner-Up.
This recognition underscores the impact of Spatial Navigation, an open-source library tailored for Smart TVs, CTVs, and STBs, on the streaming development community. Designed for seamless, intuitive remote-control navigation across 10-foot UIs, our library solves a crucial challenge often overlooked in TV app development.
What Makes Spatial Navigation Special
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Developer-Centric Innovation: Lightweight, framework-agnostic, and optimized for speed & modularity, our solution allows precise focus management and directional navigation across diverse platforms like Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Android TV, and more.
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Open-Source and Community-Driven: Since being shared on GitHub, Spatial Navigation has seen impressive uptake, with high weekly NPM downloads and growing adoption by developers globally—becoming a cornerstone tool in multiscreen and CTV app creation.
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Addressing a Niche — But Critical — Problem: TV interfaces demand remote control navigation, not touchscreen or mouse input. Our library elegantly fills that gap with intelligent, customizable navigation patterns built for performance and reliability.
Why This Matters
Being honoured as a Runner-Up among over 1,200 companies and more than 8,000 votes across 13 categories reflects strong community validation. We’re proud to stand alongside true innovators like NAGRAVISION and Techex, who showcase excellence in the field.
Looking Ahead
We’re galvanized by this recognition and will continue enhancing Spatial Navigation, expanding its reach, and empowering developers to build ever more immersive and accessible TV experiences. Stay tuned for upcoming features, updates, and integrations with Norigin Media’s TV App SDK.
Learn more about Norigin Spatial Navigation here or visit us on GitHub.