Would you like to create an app like Skype, Viber, Zoom, Netflix, or YouTube? All these applications are OTT apps, which stands for Over-The-Top apps. These are applications that allow users to communicate, exchange media content, watch videos, and utilize other services over the Internet, independently of traditional telecom operators or cable companies. Currently, developing an OTT app is a profitable investment, but only if you plan your project carefully. Here’s a brief guide with the most crucial nuances you need to consider during the development of an OTT app.
- Choose the devices your OTT app will be designed for. Certainly, you can create an OTT app for mobile phones, tablets, and desktops. However, keep in mind that each platform has its own specific features, so you will need to invest additional time and resources into development for each operating system. So, it’s better to focus on one platform initially or choose a cross-platform approach in development. Identify the devices your target audience typically uses. Currently, mobile applications are the most popular. However, there’s a significant challenge for mobile phones and tablets related to their relatively small screens as for TV translations.
- Ensure the licensing of the content you will be broadcasting. To start, determine the type of content that will be in your OTT app – movies, TV shows, series, live streams. To avoid potential copyright-related issues, ensure to timely acquire the licenses for showcasing such content.
- Ensure copyright protection. After acquiring licensed content for display, integrate DRM – a solution for managing digital rights. This way, you can prevent unauthorized copying or distribution of the content from your OTT app.
- Before starting the development, consider what monetization model you would like to implement in your OTT app – subscription-based, ad-supported, pay-per-view, freemium, or a combination. This needs to be determined during the strategy development phase, as only then will you understand how your product will evolve and will be able to create the necessary features to implement your monetization model.
- Personalization. The key factor that consistently captures user loyalty in such applications is personalization. So make sure that your OTT app algorithms are built in a way that delivers content to your users based on their preferences and recently selected content.
- Сontent Delivery Network (CDN). You need a CDN for efficient distribution of your content among users in different countries. This way, you can effectively distribute content, reducing the load on the central server, minimizing delays, and buffering.
There are many different factors to consider when developing OTT applications – both from a business and technical standpoint. Our Perfsol team https://perfsol.tech/hire-telecom-app-developers can provide you with both business and technical expertise, as we have years of experience in developing such applications. So, don’t hesitate to reach out to us – we are ready to discuss your ideas and assist you in bringing your project to success!
