For the past 16 years, our engineers have built many of the most important apps in streaming, on mobile and the TV. From HBO GO to MTV to NBC News and CNBC, we know the streaming business like the back of our hand.
Few clients, best-in-class engineers. We take on only a few clients at a time, so your product gets our best engineers and is done right the first time.
Most recent first. Several of the earlier apps have since been renamed or replaced by their owners. The streaming engineering behind them is what we bring to new clients today.
We're helping NBCUniversal build out its news and lifestyle streaming apps on iOS and Roku, for some of the most-watched brands in American news.
From 2019 to 2025, Apple engaged CS54 to engineer an iOS and macOS product used every day across the company, from the executive team down. The product name is confidential.
A live, real-money trivia show hosted by Kevin Jonas. Questions and results stayed in sync with the live video for every player, even during big traffic spikes.
Helped architect Viacom's next-generation shared codebase powering its brand apps.
Architecture and lead engineering for Yahoo's premium video app.
Lead mobile engineering for HBO's streaming service as it grew from the web to every screen, including helping build the next generation of HBO GO, the platform that evolved into HBO Max.
| Project | iOS | Apple TV | Roku | Android | macOS | Web |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBCUniversal | ||||||
| Apple | ||||||
| Pop Culture Live | ||||||
| Galactic Nemesis | ||||||
| MTV & Comedy Central | ||||||
| Yahoo Screen | ||||||
| HBO GO & HBO Max |
Shipped to production Prototype, or delivered with a partner
We can join your team or own the whole build. Either way, you get senior engineers who have shipped video apps used by millions of people.
We bring your live channels and video library to the TV. We design one product, adapt it to each platform's remote and store rules, and take it through certification and launch.
Every engagement includes analytics and video quality monitoring, automated testing, a security and DRM review, and full documentation handed to your team.
Smooth start-up and adaptive streaming, DRM integration, and server-side ad insertion that protects your ad revenue on every device.
HLS / DASH · FairPlay · Widevine · SSAI
Companion and flagship mobile apps that share code, analytics and design with your TV apps, with AirPlay and casting built in.
Swift · Kotlin · AirPlay
Senior architects who join your team: platform strategy, vendor selection, code reviews, accessibility and hiring.
Strategy · Accessibility · Code review
Every proposal states in writing what CS54 builds and owns, and what your other vendors provide, before any work starts.
Need help choosing these? We advise on vendor selection as part of discovery.
One team for phone, tablet and TV, so features and analytics match wherever people watch.
Apple TV prototypes for HBO GO and Yahoo before tvOS existed. Created the initial apps for MTV and Comedy Central. Launched Galactic Nemesis as one of the first games on the new Apple TV, and contributed to the success of other TV apps under NDA.
Created and contributed to Roku products for HBO, Warner Bros. and NBC.
AirPlay, HDMI out, deep linking and international launches for flagship video apps.
Built Android prototypes for HBO GO, isolating the video player and DRM to find performance limits before launch.
Apple's internal macOS client (2019 to 2025), plus Mac control-room apps that ran a live streaming game show.
Managed partner-built connected TV apps for HBO, and kept video and analytics in sync across desktop, Xbox, TV and mobile.
CS54 is deliberately small at its core. The people you meet on the first call are the people who write and review your code.
When a project needs more hands, we bring in engineers from our wider network as needed. Every one of them has been vetted and has shipped with us before, so we already know the quality of their work and how they fit a team.
Charles started CS54 in 2007 and has led mobile and TV engineering on HBO GO, MAX GO, Yahoo Screen and Viacom's MTV and Comedy Central apps. From 2019 to 2025, he led CS54’s engagement with Apple, building an internal product used across the company. He has spoken at Adobe MAX, FITC and NYU, and taught at Portfolio Center.
Pierre has built complex software systems since before 2000 for Microsoft, Intel, HBO, Yahoo, the FAA, Disney, Hasbro, ABC Sports, Rand McNally, Arthur Andersen, Peat Marwick, Toys“R”Us and Wizards of the Coast. In games he has shipped work for Midway, Konami, Data East and Incredible Technologies, and he has helped teams at Treehouse Interactive, CS54, American Laser Games, Imagination Pilots and many more.
Bruce is an application architect and developer with a long track record in consumer and enterprise apps. He has designed and built several high-profile applications serving thousands to millions of users across mobile, desktop and the web. He leads collaboratively, champions agile, self-managing teams, and brings strong project management and clear communication to every engagement.
Joe has more than 15 years in technical operations, specializing in performance, capacity and scalability. He has run infrastructure for large, high-traffic, high-availability media websites, and for specialized SaaS products built for small but demanding and fast-growing user bases.
Mike began his career in robotics and AI with NASA and the Department of Defense, earning a NASA commendation for his work on machine learning for industrial robots. He has worked on mine detection with radar and navigation without GPS, and over the last 20 years has been a founder, investor, developer, board member and adviser. In games, he led multiplayer development for Pop Culture Live and launched some of the first online web games for EA Sports and Area/Code in New York.
A streaming app only works if people keep coming back. Our team has also designed, built and marketed mobile games that reached the top of the US App Store, so we know how to drive engagement, pick a business model and make an app pay for itself. Pop Culture Live brought both sides together.
Share a few details about your app and timeline, and we'll set up a call.
Client references from past streaming engagements are available on request.