Engineering Success: Jim Wild on managing teams and tackling the Olympics

Joining Nine earlier this year, Jim Wild is an Engineering Manager on the Connected Television (CTV) Team and has quickly become an integral part of the 9Now Audience team. Along with his team of eight  developers and quality engineers, he is responsible for the 9Now native TV apps, ensuring that viewers have seamless access to 9Now, especially for high-profile sporting events like the Olympics and Paralympics.  

Preparing for the Olympics

Preparing 9Now for the Olympics and Paralympics was a massive undertaking for all the video client teams, presenting plenty of new challenges. Historically broadcasters have offered a couple of channels focusing on major events. Nine made Australian history by providing coverage of every single live event, free for viewers to access. At times the 9Now platform showed 40 different events at once, so the team did a lot of work in updating the user interface and experience to ensure discoverability of all sports.  

In addition to providing a major UI update to enable discoverability of all the new live channels, Jim and his team had to ensure 9Now ran smoothly on a large range of devices and versions. The applications also needed to interface with 9Now’s new APIs and infrastructure to guarantee stability.

Unique challenges create learning opportunities

Working on the Olympics project has been an unparalleled learning opportunity for Jim and the team, offering the chance to contribute to a massive, high-profile project that demands both innovation and adaptability. 

The non-negotiable deadlines and unique challenges have pushed the team to think creatively and develop new approaches, leading to significant growth in problem-solving skills. The project has fostered cross-team collaboration, bringing together experts from different areas to ensure seamless delivery. This collective effort has not only enhanced individual capabilities but also strengthened the team’s ability to work as a group. The shared experience of navigating uncharted territory has been both exciting and educational, making it a career-defining project for everyone involved.

“Everybody in 9Now has been working towards the same thing. There’s this ‘One team, One dream’ as Lewis Evans our Product Director put’s it.”

Empowering the team with flexibility 

When working on large projects like this, keeping the team connected is crucial. As Engineering Manager, Jim takes a thoughtful approach to communication, understanding how each team member prefers to work. 

The team meets daily for stand-ups, collaborating to solve problems and learn from one another. “We also operate Meeting-Free Wednesdays, where the team can just focus on coding or collaborating with each other. That goes down really well” Jim shares. 

Recognising that everyone has different needs and working styles, they’ve created an environment where individuals are empowered to work where and when they are most effective. Whether working from home or the office, the emphasis is on results, not rigid schedules.

 “I would actually say Nine’s probably one of the most understanding organisations when it comes to flexible working and just understanding life,” Jim adds.

The future of live sports and streaming

Looking to the future, the CTV team are excited about innovation and the potential for more immersive, interactive viewing experiences.  

“If you think about how far we’ve come in 10 years, when most free to air live sports were viewed over linear terrestrial (via a tv antenna) with only some BVOD (Broadcaster Video on Demand) we’ve moved things along significantly. The 2024 Olympics and Paralympics has set the roadmap for future innovation at Nine.” says Jim.  

The future of live sports streaming is set to evolve rapidly, with multi-screen experiences and new devices changing the way audiences engage with content. Working at Nine offers not just a career-defining opportunity but also a chance to be at the forefront of this transformation.