The demand for movie streaming apps has skyrocketed after the pandemic. Although streaming apps like Netflix were quite popular before the COVID, it has seen immense popularity lately. Not only Netflix, other like Amazon Prime Videos and HBO have also gained a lot of traction.
The popularity of Netflix has brought the biggest transformation in the world of entertainment. These streaming platforms have all the latest blockbuster movies that will keep you hooked to your mobile screens till the end. The streaming quality is fantastic, the variety of content is massive, and these services are available at a very reasonable price. All these factors give people good reasons why they should subscribe to at least one platform for online streaming.
With millions of people searching for affordable and robust online video streaming platforms, businesses can use this opportunity to grow their brand by catering to this demand. Online streaming services mean a large volume of organic traffic to your channel and a high conversion rate. As a business or startup owner, the real question becomes how you can leverage this opportunity to build a popular brand?
Further reading: Build website & app like Netflix (with no code)
In order to build a streaming service that can become as popular as Netflix or Amazon Prime video, you must be able to provide users with certain features such as:
Categories
Movies, web series, kids’ shows, reality shows, and other videos are available in different languages. A good streaming app allows its audience to sort the list by their desired language and category of content. For example, if your audience is looking for cartoons for their kids, they must be able to filter the list by kids’ shows. Likewise, you must sort the content by region, language, and type of video. This will make the search easier for your audience.
You should also understand your target audience and their geography so that you can build a library according to their interest. Your OTT streaming app will attract a larger audience if you promote content they can understand and relate to.
Offline Watching
Most people download a few episodes of their favorite web series or a couple of movies on their devices. They watch these shows when they are traveling or are in places with poor internet connections. In addition to online streaming, let your audience download their desired content for offline use. Nearly every popular OTT streaming platform has a download button for their movies and series. Although there’s a limit for the number of episodes they can download at a time, this option is great for the audience that spends a considerable amount of time traveling.
Watchlist
Another important feature of a video streaming app is the watchlist. People spend a lot of time browsing different movies only to end up closing the OTT streaming app. This can get super frustrating, especially when you are getting bored and you don’t want to spend your free time browsing content. Saving a few titles to the watchlist will help you watch your favorite movies without having to browse. This feature also comes in handy when someone is recommending you a series or a movie. You can search it immediately in the OTT app and add it to your watchlist.
Multiple Profiles
If there’s one thing people love about Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other online streaming services, it is the setup of multiple profiles. You can share your password with your friends, colleagues, and relatives. Let them enjoy their favorite shows while you pay for the subscription.
People can also set up multiple profiles by dividing the subscription amount. A good streaming app allows 3-5 user accounts, making it possible for the entire family to use the OTT streaming platform with one subscription while having their own accounts. Each user will get recommendations based on their watch history and interest.
Subtitles and Video Quality Options
You can’t always watch the videos in the best quality because of limited data availability or poor connection. That’s when the good and average video quality options come in handy. Basically, the audience gets to set the streaming quality for different networks. For example, you can set the “average” video quality when you are using the data or keep the quality “best” when you are on your mobile’s data.
Likewise, you should allow your audience to watch videos in different languages. The more subtitle options you add, the more audience your OTT platform will attract. If you are targeting an audience from a particular nation, make sure to have regional subtitles.
Skip Intro
Most viewers skip intro for movies and series. It is quite frustrating, you already remember what you saw in the previous episode, and you will not want to watch it again. Let your audience remove this part and get straight to the new content. They can watch the intro if they want or skip it if they aren’t interested.
Stream on Different Devices
While mobile seems the most suitable option for streaming videos, you can’t always use it. At times, you want to connect your mobile to the TV so that you can enjoy a family movie with your loved ones. Or, you may want to access the OTT streaming platform on the laptop to stream videos on a bigger screen. Make sure that your online streaming app is compatible with all devices. It should work on Mac, Windows, Tablet, Android, iOS, smart TV, and other devices.
Live Streaming Service
Millions of viewers use OTT streaming services for live streaming, especially for news and sports channels. In fact, A lot of people buy streaming subscriptions for this very purpose only, like watching NFL or Formula 1. If you are considering building a streaming platform, make one that has or can support live streaming as your platform expands.
iScript VisualCaster: Build Streaming Platform without coding
You don’t have to break the bank for developing an online streaming platform . iScript VisualCaster allows people to build a OTT streaming website and mobile app within minutes. Once installed on your server, you can customize everything from design to content from the software’s administrative dashboard.
Please feel free to contact us if you have an idea to create a similar application. We will help you to make an online on-demand video streaming application easily.
Check out iScripts VisualCaster
