Live radio app for UCU Radio: continuous streaming on iOS and Android

UCU Radio is an Argentine broadcaster that came from a traditional transmission model, with its audience listening live on the web. Its programming is original and live, and its listeners had already moved their audio consumption to the phone.

The broadcast existed but the channel was not its own, and without an owned channel there is no direct relationship with the audience: listening depended on keeping a browser tab open.

• Low mobile repeat use: consumption happened on desktop, where the audience is not for most of the day.
• Drop off on web playback: closing the tab cut the stream, and the session with it.
• Limited loyalty: with no owned channel there was no way to announce that a show was starting.

The cost was structural rather than about audience size: the relationship with the listener was mediated by outside platforms, and every touchpoint had to be won again.

We built a live radio app for iOS and Android, focused on one thing: that listening never breaks. The player keeps playing even when the app goes to the background.

The build was hybrid and native ready, to cover both stores from a single codebase and leave the door open to native components wherever streaming called for them.

Live listening without breaks

• Continuous live playback, reachable in a single tap when the app opens.
• Persistent player with background listening.
• Tuned for variable mobile connections, which is the real condition of use.

Streaming and delivery

• Integration with the real time audio servers.
• Buffer management and latency tuning to hold the live stream.
• Support for concurrent listeners without degrading signal quality.

A direct channel to the audience

• Push notifications announcing shows and news.
• Quick access to featured content from the app itself.
• The channel stays on the broadcaster's side, with no outside platform in between.

Architecture and technology

• Mobile: hybrid native ready build for iOS and Android.
• Frontend: interface tuned for live content consumption.
• Backend: in house APIs for content and streaming management.
• Infrastructure: scalable cloud, sized for high concurrency.

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Mobile consumption grew 60% and average listening time grew 45%, with user retention up 35%.

The baseline is web consumption before the app.

Starting point

• Low mobile repeat use.
• High drop off on web playback.
• Limited audience loyalty.

Results achieved

• 60% more mobile consumption: listening moved to the device where the audience is.
• 45% longer average listening time: the background player holds the session.
• 35% better user retention: they come back, and there is no need to win them again.
• 50% more repeat sessions: one tap access cut the friction of returning.
• A live direct channel: show announcements arrive by push, with no intermediaries.

Strategic impact

• The broadcaster stopped depending on outside platforms to reach its audience.
• The infrastructure absorbs growth without degrading the listening experience.
• The live stream now has an owned and measurable channel.