How to Build an OTT App?

Most sought-after OTT applications such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu have risen exponentially in the entertainment business. There’s a demand for video content and thus, consequently, a rise in OTT applications. It has dominated different sectors like education, fitness, and entertainment. Building OTT app is a bit of a challenging task. But building it with planning and strategy makes it at ease.

Many entrepreneurs wonder about successful OTT apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney + Hostar about how they make money by developing an OTT app. Are you among those looking for OTT app solutions? Let us understand how to develop an OTT app, the steps involved, the OTT app development cost, and the factors associated with it.

Market Statistics of OTT Apps

There is tremendous growth seen in the OTT market and there is more demand for OTT apps as well as live streaming content. Statistics show that the overall market size of OTT will be around $223 in 2023 and is expected to grow to $480 billion by 2027 with a CAGR of 15%. Different factors are driving the growth in the OTT industry.

• Increase in Internet Usage: The usage of internet among the users is increasing day by day. And hence boosting the demand for the OTT apps.
• Smartphone Usage: There are more than 7 billion people who are using smartphones, and hence can get easy access to the OTT app anytime and anywhere.
• Content-Based Preference: There is the growth of OTT platforms due to the demand for personalized content according to the user’s niche. OTT platform caters to different genres like fitness, education, entertainment, etc.

Live Streaming Apps: There are also OTT apps that provide live streaming of sports, concerts, and other sectors.

Step to Build an OTT App: How to Do?

1. Define Audience & Its Need:

Do not make your assumptions while looking to develop OTT app. Analyze the audience, know their actual need, and accordingly make the strategy. Researching the market will also help to identify the challenges in the future. Early planning, analysis & research can lead to the right path to OTT app development.

2. Plan Your Budget:

Plan the budget of the OTT app based on the core features required. Let us understand the overall cost of OTT app development.

Also Read : OTT Platform Development: Navigating the Future Landscape

Cost to Develop an OTT App

• Basic Level: To develop an OTT app with basic features can cost around $30,000–$50,000.
• Mid Level: This contains an advanced level that includes live streaming & integrating AI in the OTT app. The cost for this is $50,000–$120,000.
• High Level: For a high level OTT app development includes premium features like supporting multiple languages including different platforms, security of data etc..

3. Choosing the Right Technology Stack

The performance of the OTT app depends on the technology used during the OTT platform development. Following is the technology stack used during the OTT application development process –

Frontend:

The performance and scalability of your OTT app depend on the technology stack you choose. Here’s a breakdown:

Frontend Technologies:

• React Native or Flutter
• Swift (iOS) and Kotlin (Android):

Backend Technologies:

• Node.js
• Django (Python) or Ruby on Rails

Database:

• MongoDB
• MySQL/PostgreSQL

Streaming Protocols:

• HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), RTMP, WebRTC

Cloud Hosting: AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, etc.

4. Creative UI/UX

Design is the factor that keeps the user more engaging and hence it is important to have an intuitive and visually appealing design. This helps users to have seamless navigation to different features. It should be compatible with different devices and browsers. Additionally, having a night viewing using dark mode is a plus point.

5. Backend Development

The backend is the backbone of the OTT app. This consists of the content streaming in the app, users’ data, managing users, etc. It also includes streaming servers, content management systems, user management, analytics, etc. It is important to have a robust backend to make the app more scalable and easy to handle. This is useful when it comes to handling large traffic during live events.

6. Monetization Model

For a successful OTT app, choosing the right monetization model is the best thing one can do. Some of them include –

• Subscription-Based: Here the users pay for unlimited access to the content. This creates an opportunity to get recurring fees from users.
• Pay-Per-View: Here one can charge user one-time access for a single content
• Advertisements: This can provide an opportunity for third parties to advertise on platforms. And users need to pay to view ad-free content.

7. Implement Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Users always prefer smooth streaming of the video content. Hence, to implement this one can integrate with the CDN network that supports multiple servers. Some of the well-known CDN networks include –

• AWS CloudFront
• Akamai
• Cloudflare

8. Security:

One of the core features is protecting the content and making sure that the data is secured. Make the videos secure using advanced encryption standards. Add a watermark to the live stream to deter piracy. Prevent videos with unauthorized content using tools like Apple FairPlay and Google Widevine.

9. App Compatibility

The OTT app must be compatible with different platforms. This is because it can increase the chances of users to use the OTT app. It must support platforms like mobile, app, TV, Tablet, etc. Users always prefer their device compatibility whether the platform is compatible with it or not.

10. Testing & Final Launch

Test the App. Ensure that the OTT app functionality is working properly with no glitches or errors into it. There are different types of testing performed for smooth functioning and providing a seamless experience to the users. Once the OTT app is free from errors, launch it into the market and start with the marketing strategies to get more users to the app.