Kiwi company given nod by Microsoft for work with BBC

New Zealand-based digital agency NV Interactive has just been recognised in this year's Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the Year Awards.

In a record seventh showing in the global awards, the agency was recognised as a finalist in the highly competitive Media and Communications category for its latest project for the BBC in the UK.

NV's recognition was for a highly acclaimed cross-platform mobile app for BBC Good Food - the biggest food brand in Europe with over 22m users accessing its extensive collection of 12,000 curated recipes every month.

"Our ecosystem of partners is crucial to delivering transformative solutions, and this year's winners have proven to be some of the finest among their peers," says Microsoft One Commercial Partner corporate vice president Gavriella Schuster.

"We are pleased to recognise NV Interactive for being selected as a Finalist in the 2018 Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the Year awards.

The NV team delivered the new BBC Good Food app across iOS, Android and Windows, leveraging the cross-platform Xamarin mobile development framework.

The reimagined app needed to deliver a unified experience across all mobile platforms, both phone and tablet, within a tight budget and timeframe.

"We've worked with NV for 5 years now and knew they produce high-quality work," says Marc Humby, Head of Partnerships at BBC Worldwide.

"We wanted to take a more strategic approach to our digital business going forward, and we felt that a collaboration with NV would support our vision. It was truly a collaborative project, across our respective Product, Design and Development teams.

"We're proud of what has been accomplished and the recognition our app has garnered. It's a real testament to the quality of NV's work and the consultative way in which they have approached the build. We now have the platform and processes to continue to offer new apps and better technology quickly to more BBC Worldwide properties.

NV has now won three global partner awards and been named a finalist in a further four, after registering two worldwide spots in 2017.

"We're absolutely delighted to again be globally recognised by Microsoft for our work and proud to be representing New Zealand on the world stage," says NV managing director, Matt Pickering.

"It's a real validation of our user-centric, design-led approach to large-scale technology projects. Validation on the world stage like this has been game-changing for our business.

"We've been able to leverage our consistent recognition in the global level to build out an enviable roster of amazing clients including Time Inc, USA Today, English Cricket, and obviously BBC. And we get to bring this global experience to our awesome New Zealand clients.