Steven Irby, a developer from London, England, has just released a very cool new web application called Channel Surfer. This dynamic new feature is sure to change the way users engage with YouTube content. The app features a colorful retro aesthetic designed to evoke the look and feel of an old-school cable TV guide. This approach provides users with a new and exciting counterpoint to the intimidating kaleidoscope of options presented on existing video powerhouses.
At 40 years old, Irby has spent over a decade traveling the globe, which has significantly influenced his perspective on digital content consumption. He was surprised to learn just how many videos were found online. What he didn’t expect was how difficult it is to pick something to watch. This epiphany set him on a path of creating Channel Surfer, an app that hopes to make discovery a more seamless experience.
Huge news—Channel Surfer just opened with 40 custom-built channels! Each channel is guided by a creator who develops a brand around news, politics, sports, lifestyle content, or other popular pursuits. Beyond these just niche-y enough to be cool channels, it offers highly specialized fare including a number of music and technology focused channels. Irby imagines a platform that would let users surf through dynamic content with minimal effort. It recreates that old-school experience of channel surfing for the new age.
“I built Channel Surfer because I’m tired of the algorithms and indecision fatigue,” – Steven Irby
The app has one truly novel element! It allows new users to import their existing YouTube subscriptions into Channel Surfer when they subscribe to Irby’s newsletter. This capability personalizes the viewing experience while still maintaining the nostalgic feel of traditional television.
On the backend, Channel Surfer’s functionality is powered by GitHub Actions that execute scripts to automatically refresh the data every day. This allows users to see the freshest content—content that’s more up-to-date than TV is in some cases—from all of YouTube. Irby was actively involved in the coding process with Claude.ai. He emphasized that the site is much less concerned with creating beauty-led, aesthetic-focused design and is not “vibe-coded.”
On its very first day, Channel Surfer’s website received more than 10,000 hits. This surprising number underscores the tremendous demand for this exciting new way to watch video online. Irby’s expansion plans include bringing Channel Surfer to additional TV platforms, such as Fire TV and Google TV. This change will make it exponentially easier for everyday users to access and use.
“I miss channel surfing and not having to decide what to watch,” – Steven Irby
It’s clear from his writing that Irby’s love for restoring simplicity to the art of watching runs deep. He expresses a desire for viewers to “just sit and tune into what’s on and not think about what to watch next.” Channel Surfer makes you feel like you are surfing through channels just like the picture above. It really does slice through the chaos of today’s streaming services.
Breathing this life into Irby’s journey has inspired with their stories, inspiring his passion and creativity in every aspect of building. He reflects on this journey by stating, “I have so much creativity from my long, weird journey. I can’t bear the thought of being a Jira ticket monkey anymore.” It’s that commitment to bringing the old web experience back that motivates Steve to work on Channel Surfer in his free time.
Users can easily install Channel Surfer by dragging-and-dropping a bookmarklet to their bookmarks bar. This unassuming switch unlocks a magical time capsule of D23 Expo mornings. Irby isn’t done expanding Channel Surfer’s functionality, though. He is committed to making visible that “the old web is still out there,” even as it’s buried beneath “a mountain of slop.”