Everything to Know About OTT App Development

Planning to take your streaming business to the next level? Here’s how OTT app development can become a game-changing aspect for your business!

In today’s digital era, the concept of mobile-driven services has taken over a large chunk of the market. Whether ordering food or investing, industries worldwide are leveraging custom mobile applications to lure customers and offer them remote services. So, why should the media and entertainment industries remain behind? Enters OTT app development!

OTT or over-the-top applications have become a leading revenue-generating segment of the media and entertainment industry. Brands like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney have created a large user-base worldwide. 

As per our trusted sources, more than 68% of the homes in the USA alone have OTT apps. These apps are used for more than 100 minutes daily, maybe during weekends!

Besides that, the OTT app development market is expected to surpass $210 billion by 2026. The revenue was already $106 billion in 2020! 

So, when other companies are leveraging this robust trend, why are you lagging? In this guide, we will discuss everything about OTT app development. Uncover everything you need to develop a trending OTT application, from features to technologies and monetization models!

What is an OTT App?

An OTT app or over-the-top application is a media and entertainment app platform that engages users with its wide variety of TV shows, web series, movies, etc. These OTT applications offer video streaming services to their users that can be accessed on multiple platforms, including TV, laptops, computer, and smartphones. 

You even need not have a satellite or cable connection. Simply connect to the internet, download an OTT application, and start streaming your favorite movies or web shows. In fact, the advent of AI has further elevated the user experience of these OTT apps. Today, you get smart suggestions based on your past watching experience when using any popular OTT platform. 

Why Invest in OTT App Development?

The OTT app development market is a hot trend and will constantly evolve in the coming future. Brands like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime have brought significant transformations in the video streaming industry.

As per trusted sources, here’s what the market for OTT app development looks like presently:

• The global OTT app development market will generate $200 billion in revenues by 2024.
• People across the globe are spending an average of 100 minutes every day on various OTT apps.
• The active OTT AVOD (Advertising Video On Demand) users will reach 3.5 million by 2027.
• Overall the number of active users for various OTT video download platforms will be 761 million by 2027.
• 85% of the US millennials subscribe to at least one OTT platform.

Hence, one can, without a doubt, confirm that OTT app development is the biggest trend in the mobile services industry. And that trend is not going anywhere in the coming future. However, what industries can benefit from OTT app development?

• Marketers & Advertisers
• Content Creators
• Health & Wellness Advisories
• Fitness Experts
• Youtubers
• Corporate Businesses
• Educational Institutions
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Broadcast Media
• And More!!!

Must-have Features for a Top-Notch OTT Application

Features play an important role in defining the success of any application, and OTT apps are no exception. To survive and build your brand in today’s competitive market, you need unique and user-centric features that can outsmart your competitors. 

Hence, as a leading OTT app development company, we have listed below some useful features that can help you lure more users and turn your business into a profitable venture!

Profile Creation

Enable your users to create their profile using a valid Email and a secure password. You can even allow users to log in using their social media accounts. Certain SDKs and APIs, including Facebook and Gmail, can be used for social login. The users can enter their name, date of birth, and other details like the country for watching the area-specific videos.  

Multi-Language Support

Since your OTT app will be available for users worldwide, it is important to offer them personalization, which can be done with multi-language support. You must mention the world’s top languages in your app so that your users can access the content seamlessly. 

Besides that, your customer support panel; should also support multiple languages. You can deploy an NLP-based chatbot for that!

Subscription Plans

Every leading OTT application offers users various subscription plans, including annual, monthly, and one-time. Hence, you must include such subscription plans in your app too! Your users should be able to choose and cancel the subscription plan anytime.

Personalized Suggestions

You must employ a recommender engine in your OTT app to offer personalized suggestions to your users. Users can get smart suggestions based on their previous viewing experience with a recommendation system integration.   

Download/Watchlist

Enable your users to download specific shows or movies by registering on the app. The users can even save their favorite shows to watch later using the Watchlist option. 

Voice Search

A search bar for your app is essential. However, voice search is gaining huge momentum these days. Hence, you must integrate voice-enabled search options for your users besides normal search. The users should also get suggestions by typing just a keyword in the search bar. 

Screen Mirroring

Let your users view their favorite shows on a bigger screen by offering them a screen mirroring option. Users could easily shift their screens to laptops, desktops, or TVs. 

Continue Watching

It is often seen that many users cannot finish a movie or series in one sitting, and hence, they take breaks. So, you must enable them to continue watching the series from where they left it. That will save the time your users and eventually enhance their UX. 

Categories

There are thousands of movies and shows available online. Hence, finding the perfect one can be tedious for your users. So, you must categorize all the shows and movies according to the mood. For instance, emotional, horror, sci-fi, drama, sports, etc. can be the popular categories for bifurcating your digital content. 

Push Notifications

Alert your users for any change in policies, new shows, trending shows, and due payments. You can even market your new subscription plans and other offers to the users with push notifications.

How to Develop OTT Apps – the Development Process

Analyze Your Competitors and Market Trends

The first step to developing a successful OTT application is to analyze your market trends. We live in a digital world where things change rapidly, be it customer demands or industry trends. Hence, you must examine the current market scenario to survive in that dynamic world.

You should have a clear understanding of your business goals and the trends that resonates with those goals.  

• Why do you need an OTT app?
• What is your business goal?
• Who are your target customers?
• How can your app solve their problems?
• Who are your competitors that are playing well in the market?
• Do your users leverage a specific app? If yes, what features do they like?

Answering questions like these will help you frame a perfect app development strategy that will help you in the long run.

Analyzing your competitor’s strategies is never bad when planning to grow in the market. You should know who all your competitors are and what strategies they have adopted to lure the customers.

The easiest way to do that is through expert consultation. Look for an OTT app development company that offers market and competitor analysis. Although you can initially look for those companies online, knowing their accurate technologies and strategies is only possible with the help of an expert. 

Matellio offers all its clients a free competitor research and market analysis service. You can fill out our consultation form to get started today!

Select the Type, Features, and Tech Stack

Another critical step after market analysis is to choose suitable features and tech stack for your app. However, before that, you must decide what OTT app you want to launch. Is it similar to Netflix, which focuses on national and international movies and web shows, or is it Amazon Prime that offers exclusive content to its audience?

Whatever the app, the features and tech stack are chosen based on that type. Hence, you must invest your time in finding the best OTT application for your business. Below we have listed some popular types in the entertainment market.

• TV Apps
• Web Apps
• Mobile Apps
• Desktop Apps

Regarding OTT app development, technologies also play a crucial role in determining the success of your project. Hence, you must hire app developers proficient in working with various next-gen technologies. 

Here’s what a basic tech stack looks like for OTT app development:

Remember that the final tech stack of your OTT app can only be decided once you list your requirements. Hence, you must connect with an expert to better understand your app’s tech stack!

Choose a Reputable OTT App Development Company

The most critical part of your OTT app development is choosing a reliable development partner. Features and UI/UX are okay; however, one more thing impacts your app’s success. Yes, you guessed it right; it is your app development partner.

If you plan to hire freelancers, then the chances are high that you have to look for individual developers, testers, and even a designer that can turn your ideas into a reality. However, that’s not the case when you partner with a reputed app development company.

You can find all their resources in one place by hiring app developers from a reputed brand. Furthermore, some companies even offer needs-based scaling services to help reduce or extend your development team per your project needs. 

Always Begin with an MVP

MVP stands for a minimum viable product. In simple terms, it is a functional prototype that lets you explore the interface and features of your app. With an MVP, you can easily check how certain features would act when implemented in the actual app. 

Besides that, important things like navigation, accessibility, and user-friendliness of the app can also be measured by investing in MVP development. You can easily alter the features and change your product’s design before actual development.

That eventually reduces the cost of redesigning your product after the final development. Plus, your app’s UX will also increase since the navigation and accessibility will be improved during the initial stage. All that results in quality and user-centric products without much expenditure.

Read More: Why You Should Start with MVP for Mobile App Development 

Follow the Agile Development Methodology

Now, some may wonder why only the agile methodology for your OTT app development exists. Well, the answer is quite simple! With an agile method, you get constant updates on your product. That means you verify everything after each development stage. 

If you want to introduce new features or add any new designs, you can do that without disturbing the previous development stage. That means faster app development and less cost. And, we are sure you would want that for your project. Hence, always choose an app development partner that follows the agile development methodology.  

Test and Deploy Your App

Finally, make sure to test your app before deploying it on your choice of platform. Testing is, in fact, the most crucial stage of mobile app development. By opting for testing services, you can detect even the minutest of bugs that were left unnoticed during the development process.

Detecting all such bugs ensures that your app performs smoothly over various platforms and under any circumstances. Hence, always test your app before launching it in the market. You can choose between manual or automated testing that fits your project needs.

Other Factors Affecting the Success of Your Custom OTT Application

So, you have now planned to begin your OTT app development. You have framed an effective development strategy and consulted with the best OTT app development company. But have you considered all the factors needed to ensure success for your app?

Wait, you need to know more! Besides hiring app developers and making an MVP, you must address many other factors for a successful OTT app development. 

UI/UX

Besides features, if there’s something that can impact the success of your app, it’s UI/UX. For those new to the app development market, UI refers to the user interface, and UX refers to the user experience. 

In simple terms, the navigation of your app, its accessibility, and the user-friendliness denotes the UI part. Even if your app has all the latest features, but they are not accessible by your users, then they are of no use. 

In other words, your app will have a poor UI and, eventually, a poor user experience. The best way to enhance the UI/UX of your app is to hire the best designers and engineers. You need to pay heed to your niche’s latest trending UI aspects. Opting for a simple yet engaging UI has always been the key to success.

Moreover, you can even introduce gaming elements in your OTT app, as it has been a profitable deal for many brands. Partner with the right app development company to access your project’s best UI/UX designers!

Monetization Model

It is no doubt that your OTT app will generate lots of revenue in the future. But what about the initial days? That’s where monetization models come into play! Every app today needs to adopt a suitable monetization model that can help them to generate revenues during the initial days.

That monetization model could even be used as an additional source of revenue generation. In your case, for instance, you can display third-party ads on your OTT app. Besides that, you can also charge the promoters and audience a nominal fee to use your app. 

Those are some common yet result-0driven monetization models. However, only an expert can help you select the best model for your brand. Hence, when consulting an expert, always ask questions regarding the monetization model. 

Read More: 6 App Monetization Models that Help Mobile Apps Make Money

Smart Suggestions

Here comes another crucial factor to consider during OTT app development. Next-gen technologies have not remained a luxury aspect; rather, they have become a game-changing component for startups and enterprises. The same can be said for OTT apps. 

Many leading brands today, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, have incorporated AI-based recommendation systems to enhance their user experience. Those recommender engines analyze the users’ experience and suggest the most suitable content based on their preferences. 

That eventually acts as personalized service for your users and helps increase the downloads and revenues for your OTT app. Hence, you must invest in recommendation system deployment while developing an OTT app.

How Can Matellio Help with OTT App Development?

With a decade-long experience and access to the best technologies, Matellio has been the top choice of businesses for mobile app development. Our experts take pride in delivering modern and error-free applications to global clients. You get a wide array of app development services with us, including technology consultation, UI/UX, MVP development, testing, and maintenance. 

Besides that, we also offer our clients free competitor and market analysis services with a no-obligation quote. With that, you can ensure maximum success for your business idea. So, why wait until you can start today? Fill out our form to book a free 30-minute consultation with our experts!