In the current matter, our company was the principal digital contractor of Tricolor TV, Russia's largest direct-to-home provider with two hundred TV channels and over fifteen million subscribers. I was the head of digital projects department

In 2013 it became obvious that it was high time to invest our efforts in the mobile arena. Putting together our own team seemed too expensive and risky. So, we set out to find a company that could take care of our mobile development, both, in design and code. We would take care of the product side, the marketing, the vision and outsource the actual execution. It was obvious how demanding that role was, so what we were looking for was first and foremost a reliable partner.

Back in the day the notion of second screen was very much discussed in the TV industry community. It was evident that users play around with their phones while watching TV. So, our goal was to provide our users with an immersive experience, both on TV and on their smartphones and tablets, where one screen would be a logical continuation of or addition to the other.

It was not one, but many projects. We started in the spring 2013 and worked till fall 2015, when the company decided to take a break with mobile. The better bunch was responsible for design and programming. We did iOS and Android apps for smartphones, tablets and Smart TV.

It's a good question. There are countless developer firms. On the professional level, a lot of them could be a great fit, with great portfolios, attentive managers and experienced developers. It is very difficult to choose. I think, the reason we started working with the better bunch is that they seemed like a very good fit on the emotional level. That mutual understanding remained at the core of our relationship till the end.

The details and metrics are confidential. On the development side of things the projects were a success. Also, our users seemed to have enjoyed the apps very much. We've seen impressive download and retention numbers.

They have performed well, as expected and as promised. There was the emotional connection I have already mentioned. Yet, in addition to that there was something that fostered that connection - their efficiency.

This is not the first testimonial I am providing for them and each time I mention the same thing. I have worked with many different contractors, and very rarely had I been so pleased with the performance. The better bunch are always on budget and always on time. Their managers are also worth mentioning. They know exactly when to push the client and when to let them chill. I liked that very much.