How can you create your own OTT app
By: Vikrant Khanna
Tags: Cdn, OTT, Streaming Video, Technology News, Aı

There’s no doubt that launching an OTT platform is a smart business idea, especially considering the scenario today. The number of users using OTT platforms was reported to be over 1,900 million in 2019, a number that is estimated to increase to 2,500 million by 2024. Clearly, demand and consumption are only going to increase, making it the right time to roll out an over-the-top (OTT) video application.

The important question is how to build an application that captures the market and competes with existing platforms. There are 5 key components that you must consider, along with a robust UI design and a high performing back-end video hosting and delivery platform.

Launching Your Own OTT Platform — Key Components

1. Hosting

You have a choice between hosting the platform on your own server or a cloud solution. The hosting solution (the server and underlying specs) will play a key role in the performance of the application.

While hosting it on your own server gives you complete control and more flexibility, it also requires round the clock technical support. Hosting on a cloud solution can be a cheaper and safer alternative. It’s important to remember that you’re not just hosting the application but also the videos that will be delivered, and the quality of streaming will depend heavily on the hosting servers.

2. Content Delivery Network

A CDN makes streaming and data transmission flawless for users across the globe by serving data from a server closest to the user. A CDN is especially crucial for OTT platforms because users that access your platform will be spread across the globe and expect seamless experience by default.

3. Multi-Channel Streaming Protocol

Different protocols are available for streaming platforms: HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) that uses dedicated streaming servers, protocols that support low-latency streaming like Common Media Application Format (CMAF) and Apple’s Low-Latency HLS, etc.

Selecting the right protocol will depend on the type of OTT platform you are looking to build.

4. Transcoder

A Transcoder encodes and decodes streams to convert videos on your platform into compatible versions for user devices. Added features, such as auto-adjusting the quality of multi-bitrate streams, enhance the viewing experience.

5. Cross-Platform Compatibility

By building a platform that is cross-compatible on TV, mobile, tablets, etc., you increase your audience and revenue potential. Users are actively seeking applications that work seamlessly on multiple devices with instant data sync. As such, your OTT platform should be designed for this need.

A smart way to launch your own OTT platform and also enhance video quality is to use an out-of-the-box white-label OTT solution. This drastically reduces development cost and time, and such solutions encompass all these critical components within one platform.

Mogi I/O, for example, is one such white-label OTT solution. Mogi I/O provides a ready-to-use front-end OTT interface that you can personalize with your company branding, and a back-end video hosting and delivery service. Features like content delivery via CDNs, AI-based image quality enhancement, and AI-based transcoding with video compression greatly enhance the quality of your videos, improving user experience. With such a solution, you can launch an OTT platform quickly and focus on content creation while letting the platform handle the rest.

Building Your Own OTT Platform

There are 3 ways to develop your own OTT platform:

Develop it in-house. Outsource to a development company. Host on a ready-to-use OTT platform.

1. Develop the App In-House

The first method is to design and develop the application in-house with a team of designers and developers. You need to consider the 5 components listed above when building the app or opt for a leaner and more efficient option like Mogi I/O for video hosting and delivery.

Building the app in-house might cost you more and place the responsibility of development, maintenance, and support on your team, but it will give you complete control of the application.

2. Outsource to a Development Company

The second option is to outsource design and development tasks to a development company. While you still maintain control of the functionality and features, you outsource the manual tasks and responsibility. This is a great option for businesses without an internal tech team.

The pros of outsourcing are that you can get a team of experts to develop a high performing app and leverage smart video delivery platforms to launch an excellent OTT platform. The drawback is that you won’t have complete visibility into the product.

3. Use Out-of-the-Box OTT Platforms

The final method is using ready-to-use OTT applications and is the best option of the three. Platforms like Mogi I/O provide plug-and-play white-label OTT solutions that you can use to launch your own branded app on android and iOS in as less as 24 hours.

Mogi I/O provides an all-in-one solution for the front-end UI and the backend content management portal. The ready-to-use front-end interface can be acquired and tailored to suit your company brand while storing content on the back-end CMS equipped with video tech infra layer for transcoding, enhancing video quality, compression, storage & streaming.

The platform takes care of all the technical aspects of launching an OTT platform — development, hosting, CDN delivery, transcoding, etc, and also enhances video quality when streaming. The advantage here is that you don’t have to worry about development or hosting and can focus solely on content creation.

Final Word

The consumption of video content is at an all-time high and will only go up as time progresses. While it may seem like popular video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu dominate the market, newer OTT platforms are still capturing audiences, especially with competitive pricing and fresh content. There’s never been a better time to launch your own OTT application.