The React Native Channels SDK lets you embed a fully branded video streaming experience inside a React Native app.
1.0 | What is it?
The React Native Channels SDK lets you embed a complete Blue Billywig Channel (with swim lanes, carousels, search, and detail pages) directly in a mobile app. It uses the native player under the hood, so users get hardware-accelerated playback with full Chromecast support on both iOS and Android.
If you are already using the Native Player SDK for standalone video playback, the Channels SDK builds on top of it. Both can be used together: the player for individual videos and the Channels SDK for curated content experiences.
2.0 | Features
- Branded video portal with custom colors, fonts, and logo
- Multiple layout options: swim lanes, grids, carousels, and featured headers
- Built-in search across all content
- Detail pages with related videos
- Native playback on iOS and Android
- Chromecast support
- Full ad support (VAST, VPAID, Google IMA)
- Deep linking to specific videos or pages
- Analytics and event tracking
- JWT authentication for restricted content
3.0 | Getting started
The Channels SDK is available as a private npm package. An access token from Blue Billywig is required to install it.
Here is a minimal example to get a channel up and running:
import { BBChannelWithPlayer } from '@bluebillywig/react-native-channel';
<BBChannelWithPlayer
channelUrl="https://yourpublication.bbvms.com/ch/1234.json"
playerAspectRatio={16 / 9}
onReady={() => console.log('Channel loaded')}
/>For full setup instructions, system requirements, and configuration options, visit the React Native Getting Started guide.
4.0 | System requirements
- React Native 0.70 or later
- iOS 13+
- Android API 23+
- Expo SDK 50+ (if using Expo)
- Node.js 18+
5.0 | Also available for native iOS and Android
The Channels SDK is also available as native frameworks for iOS and Android:
- SwiftUI (iOS): via Swift Package Manager. SwiftUI guide
- Jetpack Compose (Android): via Maven. Compose guide
All three SDKs share the same feature set and connect to the same channel configuration.