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Right when television lost value, OTT platforms dominated the market fortuitously. With zero time-free access to shows and movies and constantly missing momentous episodes, the general masses fathomed the accessibility OTT platforms offered. From conveniently infiltrating the missed episodes to landing on a never-ending shows and movies repository, it was among the jackpots people hit.
Building an OTT app like Disney+Hotstar or Netflix became a prerequisite for DVD/CD business owners. Nonetheless, reaching a global audience with relatively new creations was among the company’s goals. Unlike OTT app developers, business owners had limited knowledge of building such an app. Such circumstances, even now, lead to business owners hiring video streaming app development companies with extensive OTT app development experience.
Among Netflix’s competitors, such a necessity creates an emergency to locate such a company and get their OTT app like Netflix built. That can be straightforward for people with prior app development comprehension, but similar is not the case with the others. For them, here we bring a bifurcated OTT platform development guide. Since you might be among the decision-makers in their OTT solution comprehension phase, this guide is a treasure mine for you with all the intricate information.
User-Centric OTT App Features and Benefits
Beginning with the OTT app features and their corresponding benefits, they must apprehend that Netflix is a profile-based OTT platform available in a subscription-based model. Stating that the owner, Reed Hastings, began with a delivery system but has currently shifted with the moving times to the internet and changed the streaming model.
In doing so, it would have required the assistance of mobile app development services to build and incorporate the features that match their transformation with their user-centric approach. Since the question of OTT app development arises, understanding the features and their layman-powered functionalities becomes imperative.
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Register/Sign In
Since registration is the primary point at which an OTT app like Netflix stops users, it represents the essential part of building an account. Once the user signs in, their OTT app can be personalized according to their opinion of shows and interest in various genres. Since such access allows for personalization, the retention rate of OTT apps increases, resulting in boosted revenue.
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Advance Search
During video streaming app development, advanced search options play an intrinsic role. That role is that users who login often try to find thrones offered by the app itself based on their taste. However, not everyone’s using the platform with the same mindset. Some log in to type in a specific movie or show and just watch it with peace. In that case, you must never forget that your OTT app, like Netflix, needs to be advanced enough to scorch through libraries and bring them their preciously treasured movie within seconds.
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User-Friendly Design
Speaking of design, it is highly recommended that it be in the form of sliders rather than stacked. As we have seen, the user’s interest depends entirely on the scalability of the movies to land one that interests them. For instance, taking Netflix as the focal point, their interface design is built on going down from up to locate the genre and then left to right to maximize the range of options the genre offers.
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Push Notifications
Hoping onto the next feature of OTT app development, we have push notifications to notify the users of new show updates, additions to the list, episode arrivals, and many more. As notifications and staying updated on trends are essential, these notifications and updates inform the user about their subscription’s upcoming payments. Stating that it is among the many, it relieves the users from constantly checking up on OTT apps like Netflix.
Advanced Features for OTT Apps Like Disney
Regarding advanced features, an OTT app like Disney+ Hotstar often outsources its development needs to OTT platform development services. These services bring in professionals with prior project experience and valuable insights to build future-ready OTT app development solutions. Considering that cognitive abilities open the path toward the future, they also enable the apps to hold onto the audience with better features.
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Subscribe
The first revenue-centric feature on the list is incorporating the subscription model. Adding in the models, different setups are available as per the needs of the users, and duration has also been indispensable. For example, once the user is sure of the subscription, they must be driven to the payment section for further processing.
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Watch List
Among the core features, the Watch List is among the options at the end of an OTT app like Netflix that captivates the user’s mind. They can scroll through the possibilities, not haste the watching process because they might forget the movie’s name, but they can quickly add it to the Watch List for a later session. This way, not only does the build-up remain the same for the user, but it is also not lost.
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Video Quality Management
OTT video content management takes care of diverse video quality settings offered by different subscription models. For instance, if a few people choose a pack of 4K quality, management ensures that the users have access to better quality. Not only that, but the users can choose from the quality options based on their data consumption.
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Payment Integration
As mentioned above, payment integration is among the essential and advanced features expected to be integrated into the OTT app. It can include card payments, Net banking, or third-party payment gateways like PayPal. This way, you allow users to pay for the subscription model based on their choice and preference.
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Conversational AI Chabot
A similar advanced feature that has revolutionized OTT app development is AI integration in the form of a conversational chatbot. Since 24/7 customer support with human assistance is not instant, businesses nowadays are switching to AI-powered chatbots. These chatbots resolve user issues without assistance and free humans for recreational functioning.
Step-By-Step OTT App Development Process
The process of OTT App Development is the section that brings value to businesses planning to build OTT apps like Netlfixx, but it often needs direction. For instance, they might begin by hiring an iOS app development company before comprehending the target audience. OTT app development for Android and iOS means that the businesses might need cross-platform app development, but a not-so-systematic approach can cause menial issues that are not worth the hassle.
Since the organized approach makes the process straightforward, it is time to skim through it, and you must follow it during the process.
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Define Your Requirements
To create an OTT streaming app like Netflix, you must comprehend the needs of users and the market demand that goes into finalizing the features and functionalities. For example, you must understand what product you are building, an OTT app like Disney+ Hotstar, what it lacks, and how you can integrate it to allow users to do better.
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Hiring an OTT App Development Company
As the OTT app development process proceeds and you are well aware of your app’s requirements, the next step is to hire an OTT app development company. Since the requirements are in front of you, conveying them to the company begins, their process of assessing it starts, and when they come up with a well-constructed plan, you can decide on hiring them for your OTT app.
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OTT App UI/UX Design
As the OTT app development company is in place, the UI/UX design maneuvering begins. This phase encapsulates designing the OTT app layout and interface to match the needs of the OTT app users. It is also dependable on the owner’s vision and goals that need to be reflected.
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OTT App Development
Once the UI/UX design is approved and you find the OTT app design worth the development, you can begin with iOS or Android app development. From ensuring that the OTT app API integration is done perfectly, the source code is built with the features and functionalities in mind, and the front-end and back-end are dependable, everything is a part of the essential OTT app development phase.
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OTT App Quality Assurance
As soon as the source code is approved by the OTT app developers, next in line, you need OTT app testing services from the same service provider. The quality assurance experts conduct thorough testing of the source code and discover the errors and bugs that the OTT app developers need fixing. This begins the back-and-forth between the developers and QA testers, resulting in a refined OTT app like Netflix as an end product.
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OTT App Deployment and Maintenance
As soon as the OTT app developers and QA testers are done functioning, the app will be sent back to you for final approval. Once approved, the OTT app deployer will match the guidelines and prepare for the market. As soon as they are done, they launch an OTT app like Netflix in the market for the users to decide their fate. Further, the services do not end here but also extend to the timely fixation and maintenance.
Conclusive OTT App Development Cost
Since the OTT app development cost is among your relevant thoughts, it is tricky to provide a concrete number. For instance, no two businesses will ever have the same exact requirements, which ultimately leads to the fact that they will also not have a precise budget estimation. Similarly, fixing a figure for the OTT app development cost would help the decision-makers and the development company.
Yet, we might enable decision-making with a range to estimate the cost of building an OTT app like Netflix. The cost to build an OTT app platform ranges from $25,000 to $150,000, based on factors like the feature number, OTT app intricacies, and size. Based on the figure, you can decide to consider OTT app development.
Why Choose AppsChopper as Your Trusted OTT App Development Company?
We understand that OTT app development can be overwhelming and a huge decision when money is at stake. Considering the confusion, businesses have been choosing MVP development by making small investments in OTT apps and comprehending the ultimate feasibility of the OTT app in the market.
With an MVP development company like AppsChopper, you can quickly build custom OTT app solutions and check their market value by apprehending user feedback. Even if you think MVP development is not for you, you can choose end-to-end OTT app development anytime. Not only that, AppsChopper also brings forth mobile app monetization strategies that can bring forth new revenue streams based on your OTT app.
