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Case Study | Cascade PBS/KCTS9
KCTS9 partnered with Zazz to bring its digital vision to life-scaling content access and community connection through dedicated mobile development resources
To meet growing mobile demand, Cascade PBS partnered with Zazz for rapid app development via staff augmentation—ensuring speed, consistency, and flexibility.
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As one of the most trusted public media organizations in the Pacific Northwest, Cascade PBS (formerly KCTS9) recognized the urgent need to modernize its digital strategy to meet the shifting expectations of an increasingly mobile, on-demand audience. With a deep legacy in educational and cultural broadcasting, the organization’s mission demanded a digital experience that could reflect the same integrity, accessibility, and reach as its traditional channels.
Facing rising user demand for on-the-go video content, personalized programming, and seamless cross-platform access, Cascade PBS identified mobile as the critical touchpoint for future audience growth. However, standing up an in-house mobile team from scratch would involve extensive hiring cycles, infrastructure investment, and time—none of which aligned with the organization’s digital velocity goals.
To bridge this gap, Cascade PBS engaged Zazz through a strategic Staff Augmentation model—deploying a fully embedded mobile engineering team capable of executing end-to-end app development, integrating into internal workflows, and delivering a production-ready platform aligned with PBS’s brand, mission, and compliance frameworks.
The Engineering Impact
Public service media, powered by flexible and efficient tech talent.
Launched mobile MVP 2x faster
By leveraging a fully integrated outsourced team from day one
75% reduction in internal resource strain
Allowing in-house teams to stay focused on strategic media initiatives
100% alignment with PBS brand and accessibility standards
Ensured by deep collaboration and iterative design-review cycles
The Challenge
Skills Compétences Canada needed to modernize its digital infrastructure to support national-scale events, virtual skill assessments, and mobile-first engagement across all provinces and territories. Key challenges included:
- 1. Zero-to-One Mobile Capability Without Internal Disruption
- Cascade PBS had strong legacy systems and web presence, but no native mobile stack or internal team in place. They needed to go from zero to launch without the delays and costs associated with internal team building—while still ensuring long-term maintainability, security, and governance.
- 2. Mission-Critical User Experience for Public Audiences
- The mobile app needed to serve a diverse user base across demographics, accessibility needs, and viewing habits—from parents using educational programming to seniors following current affairs. The UX had to be highly accessible (WCAG compliant), fast-loading, and built for content discovery across hundreds of media assets.
- 3. Secure Streaming Infrastructure with Platform Parity
- As a content-rich organization, Cascade PBS required a mobile experience that could handle secure video streaming, offline access, playback continuity, and consistent behavior across both iOS and Android. Media rights management and API-level integrations with existing PBS systems had to be airtight.
- 4. Agile Collaboration Without Cultural Disruption
- Given the nonprofit and public service orientation of Cascade PBS, external partners had to work seamlessly with internal stakeholders, including marketing, editorial, engineering, and compliance teams—without introducing process complexity or compromising internal ownership.
The Objective
- Build a high-quality, accessible mobile app aligned with PBS’s public media mission
- Provide on-demand access to streaming content, schedules, and community features
- Integrate seamlessly with internal media systems and workflows
- Maintain strict accessibility and visual brand standards
- Avoid the complexity and delay of hiring and training an internal mobile team
The Solution
Zazz provided a dedicated, senior-level mobile product team via a Staff Augmentation engagement designed for full operational immersion. Our team included:
- iOS and Android Engineers with deep experience in media applications
- Product Designer aligned with PBS branding and accessibility guidelines
- Technical PM and QA Engineers to ensure agile delivery and cross-team coordination
1. Platform Architecture & Tech Stack Definition
- We began with a collaborative architecture phase to define a scalable mobile framework, selecting Swift (iOS), Kotlin (Android), and modular design principles that could support future scalability. Backend integrations were managed through RESTful APIs, with secure token-based authentication, and playback powered by HLS streaming protocols optimized for mobile bandwidth variability.
2. Unified Cross-Platform Experience
- Though built natively, both apps followed a shared design system and feature parity model—ensuring a consistent UI/UX across devices. We implemented deep linking, push notifications, saved playlists, and adaptive player modules for seamless streaming performance.
3. Agile Sprint Delivery with Embedded Collaboration
- The Zazz team was integrated directly into Cascade PBS’s weekly sprint cycles, using tools like Jira, Figma, GitHub, and Zoom to maintain full transparency and alignment. Our developers participated in sprint ceremonies, QA cycles, and stakeholder demos as if they were internal staff—ensuring total cohesion and trust.
4. Production-Grade QA, Accessibility & Compliance
- From day one, we enforced WCAG 2.1 AA standards, integrated automated accessibility testing tools, and conducted real-device testing across device generations. We also worked closely with Cascade PBS’s legal and compliance teams to ensure alignment with COPPA, GDPR, and platform-specific guidelines (App Store, Google Play).
The Impact
The engagement delivered transformative outcomes across engineering efficiency, product velocity, and audience engagement:
- iOS & Android apps launched on schedule with full parity, bug-free onboarding, and feature completeness
- 50% faster time-to-market compared to internal estimates for in-house development
- Immediate uptick in mobile traffic and engagement, with strong early retention metrics driven by personalized content recommendations and seamless playback
- Compliance-certified, WCAG-compliant app architecture prepared for long-term regulatory and accessibility demands
- Zero-friction stakeholder collaboration, with Zazz team members seen as trusted, embedded contributors across engineering and product teams
Cascade PBS now operates with a modern, mobile-first user channel that extends its mission of public service into the hands of a new generation. With Zazz, the organization didn’t just launch an app—it built a future-ready content platform engineered for growth, accessibility, and public impact.
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