In the digital age, audiences have grown accustomed to watching on-demand videos. Launching a video streaming service has moved from a nice-to-have to a must-have for content owners. The count of OTT channel subscribers is growing day by day, thanks to improved networks, stable internet connections, and devices such as mobile phones and connected TVs. The OTT industry is booming more than ever because the OTT streaming platform allows users to create media content of their choice, whether it is information, entertainment, or social activity.
An OTT video platform that powers your video streaming service must have a wide range of features to help you launch, manage, monetize and grow your streaming service. However, before making a decision, ensure that the OTT platform includes the core features:
Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, let’s first define OTT i.e OTT Meaning.
So, What is an OTT Platform?
The term “OTT” stands for “over-the-top.” An OTT platform is a service that streams media content over the internet. It gets its name because the service is delivered “over the top” of another platform. Although the term “OTT” refers to video streaming platforms, it also deals with audio streaming, VoIP services, and messaging platforms.
Video content was traditionally distributed by distributors such as broadcasters, cable companies, and IPTV operators. An OTT video streaming service, on the other hand, hosts the video, either on the company’s server or in the cloud, and then streams the content over the internet.
How Does OTT Streaming Work?
So, if you want to know how OTT solution work, why they’ve become so popular in recent years, ott streaming features and how this concept helped content giants emerge, cheer up! Here’s everything you need to know.
OTT services are content providers that distribute their video content via a free transmission system (the public internet). They only deliver content on-demand and use a unicast or one-to-one transmission method. It means that each end-user device has a unique connection to the content source and that each stream gets served to a single device or recipient. ISPs are only responsible for the infrastructure that allows OTT services to stream content. They have no control over the video delivery, viewing, or content copyrights of the OTT service. However, OTT performance is determined based on the internet connection speed, available bandwidth, OTT features, OTT benefits, and the end-user display device’s connectivity speed.
OTT Platform Features
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Live streaming service
Viewers have a high demand for live streaming of shows, events, and sports. Audiences most often purchase subscriptions solely for the feature of live streaming. As a result, if you are developing an online video streaming platform, ensure that it supports live streaming of content having genuine demand.
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Monetization
The prime reason for launching an online video streaming service is to monetize VOD and live video streaming services. You must select an OTT platform that provides all the video monetization options to maximize revenue generation from your video content. In s simple terms, look for an OTT platform provider who supports all popular video monetization models, such as pay-per-view, paywall, subscription, ads, and banners.
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Smart recommendations
Your OTT video streaming platform should include a powerful AI-based engine to track watch history, and the user behavior engine will then be able to analyze data and recommend relevant videos. Smart recommendations will bring relevant content from a large video library to your users’ attention.
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Video CMS
The most important feature to consider is an efficient CMS that can help you in all aspects of video content management, including importing, managing, and curating content. If you curate your content correctly, your audience will have a more personalized experience.
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Downloadable/Offline videos
Users enjoy watching videos on the go, especially while commuting. The lack of a consistent internet connection, on the other hand, can be a problem. As a result, several top ott platforms allow users to download videos for offline viewing. It enables your viewers to download where the internet connection is stable and strong and then view at a later time without being concerned about the internet connection.
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Set Preferences
Allowing your users to customize their viewing and downloading preferences is an excellent feature for an online video streaming platform. Every user will have a preferred selection of video streaming quality, downloading quality, and download location. Provide options for recording these preferences and implement them automatically as needed.
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Video Player
A video player that is intuitive, highly functional, and easy to use is vital to keeping your viewers interested in your VoD and live streaming offerings. Here are a few necessary considerations:
- Start playback from where the user left off the last time.
- WebVTT and WebSRT-based support for subtitles
- Extensive support for both live streaming and VOD
- A player that is easily customizable to meet your branding needs
- Analytics
Accurate analytics are vital to determining the performance of your VoD and live streaming services. Choose an OTT platform that provides analytics from various perspectives, such as average playback time, viewer demographics, video engagement, total playback, and device information. It should also be able to tell you the total amount of revenue, subscribers, and transactions. Access to actionable insights will enable you to make more informed business decisions about content creation, target markets, and marketing efforts.
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Digital Rights Management
DRM and AES Encryption are two popular security systems that help protect your content from copyright infringement and unwanted access. So, it’s crucial to choose an OTT platform that provides these security features.
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Marketing Tools
Marketing tools built into your online video streaming service can add value and help you expand your reach. The OTT platform’s built-in SEO can help your live streaming services become searchable and rank higher in search engine results.
Summing Up
To sum it up, launching your OTT apps is a smart move. With high internet penetration, the online video streaming market will grow in the coming years. As a result, the time has come for broadcasters and producers to launch online video streaming services. The considerations above can help you weed out inefficient OTT platform options and decide what is best.
