What do you think makes us human?
One word “storytelling”. Not only does the art of stellar storytelling make us unique as a species, it also explains the world’s obsession with watching content on streaming platforms.
It’s pretty simple, at our core, we’re all content creators and Video on Demand(VoD) is the undisputed future of online content delivery.
Here’s something you might not have known, according to a report from Statista, In 2020 alone Video-on-Demand revenue reached a whopping 61 billion U.S. dollars.
But what exactly does VoD stand for and what are the Essential Components of a VoD Streaming Channel?
Let’s dive in and find out!
What Exactly Is VoD?
Well, first and foremost VoD is short for “Video on Demand”. This means viewers can select and watch any content, any time at their own convenience… pretty neat right?
It’s important to note that“Video on Demand” is completely different from “linear” programming. Linear videos are videos that are played continuously, for instance, the traditional cable TV.
Do you know, you can launch your own “Linear program” based online streaming channel using Muvi Playout? Click here to learn more about Playout.
The majority of VoD platforms are also OTT (over the top). Any video streaming that occurs through the use of the internet rather than satellite or cable can be referred to as OTT.
Also Read: Video-on-Demand (VoD) Not a Novelty But the Norm of Entertainment Industry Today
What Are the Essential Elements Your Video Streaming Platform Needs To Win Customer Trust?
Let’s assume that you’re planning to create a streaming platform to unite video producers and customers. Your ultimate goal to delight your media consumers will only be fulfilled if the website users are content at each and every stage.
Homepage – This is the most crucial section of your website where you can grab your user’s attention with mesmerizing contents. Utilize this section to highlight TV shows, sports programs or movies and customize them according to your user’s preference.
Onboarding – Needless to say, this is one of the most important features to showcase the benefits of your product. You have to ensure that users know every nook and cranny of your website, thus ensuring they have an unforgettable experience.
Login/Registration – Make sure to have a variety of ways for your users to login
- Google login
- Facebook login
- 2 step OTP authentication process
Settings – You know what’s an excellent tactic? Letting users control the level of privacy. Allow your users the freedom to toggle between privacy options for the audience and social platforms to broadcast to.
The Following Are Features To Impress Your Video Customers
Search for a video – Implement a strict system of categories and extended indicators so that your users can easily filter through the content.
Video Library – If you want your users to treasure their video experiences, create ‘shelves’ for them and ‘viewed’ history allowing them to watch their favourite, movie or TV series on a later date/time.
Video player & Play Experiences – Being the first point of contact with your audience, video players are key to delivering the best possible experience. Users will have the complete freedom to customize their player logo, watermark, download button and so much more!
Subscription & Interaction – It’s absolutely crucial for you to allow your users to subscribe to channels of their choice and this can be done through a variety of ways:
- Like/dislike videos
- Comment on videos
- Review and rate
- Share links to free video on websites
- Share the screen
- Live chat
- Subscribe to channels
Payment Gateway – Onsite payments are an absolute MUST for user retention. You can provide your users with a plethora of payment gateway options including:
- PayPal
- Visa
- MasterCard
- Any other credit/debit cards
The Following Are Features To Win Over Your Video Creators
Video Upload and Ingestion – You can use the Video Ingestion studio in a variety of ways including:
- Capturing videos from the webcam
- Creating screen recordings in real-time
- Launching live web events
- Creating video presentations with synchronized video and slides
- Importing directly from YouTube at the click of a button
- Uploading files from desktop and mobile devices
& much more!
Video Management – Content curators will benefit tremendously from tools that’ll help with the following:
- Organizing videos and metadata
- Hassle-free media search option
- Creating playlists
Among others to help them manage their media library with relative ease.
Personalized Recommendation Engines – AI-driven recommendation engines help monumentally to scroll through the minutest hidden factors in customer data in order for us to understand their choices better.
The following are some AI capabilities contributing to the success of recommendation engines in addition to personalization.
- Scalability
- Big Data Management
Robust Analytics Engine – Provide creators with a comprehensive tracking system for them to get an in-depth analysis of the following:
- Revenue stats,
- Total number of users &
- Daily activities
We recommend creating a dashboard that breaks down the timeline of activities users are engaging in with clear cut numbers displaying the most commented videos, videos with the highest unique visits etc.
Multi-screen support -Allow your users to launch their VoD platform like Netflix on multiple devices including:
- Smart TVs
- Smartphones
- TV Set-Top Boxes
- Android & iOS platforms
And much more! This increases the opportunity to reach a much wider audience base.
We can say without a shadow of a doubt that the Admin Role will boost your platform’s credibility tremendously. It involves the following:
- Payment management
- Content moderation
- Advanced Analytics
- QoE/QoS monitoring
How To Choose a Technology Stack for a Video Streaming Site?
Choosing the correct technology is essential for you to build a streaming server that lasts. Just remember that your primary goal is to find a suitable toolset that provides distinctive advantages for your project.
Study the Video Streaming Server Requirements
How do you make sure that your streaming server is performing well?
Simple, you need to balance these three performance characteristics:
- Reliable storage
- Good network connectivity
- High bandwidth
Reliable Storage
Just follow these two highly cost-effective solutions to create two dedicated storages:
- Utilize an SSD storage to seamlessly reach the latest and most popular videos
- Use a relatively cheaper, less powerful storage type to host the remaining video data
But eventually, as you continue to grow cloud hosting becomes an optimal, everlasting solution.
Good Network Connectivity
Creating streaming sites require highly reliable connectivity. A cost-effective Content Delivery Network(CDN) has a lot to offer in this space for multiple reasons, which include:
- Preventing server upload
- Reducing the response request time
- Reducing the probability of packet loss
Find out more through this detailed article on How to Take your streaming business to the next level with Multi-CDN Strategy
High Bandwidth
How much bandwidth do you think is required for a video streaming website?
Consider the following statement: A user requires a minimum 4Mbps to watch a 720p resolution video in real-time. Just imagine if you had 3000+ users watching the same video simultaneously.
Since we’re fast approaching 4K resolution, Amazon advises 15 Mbps and Netflix recommends 25 Mbps.
Trespass Into the Domain of Perpetual VoD Streaming Excellence With Muvi
Are you feeling overwhelmed with all this information at once? It’s only natural.
No need to worry because now you can launch your own Multi-Screen Video-on-Demand (VoD) Platform in just 1-Click!
Finally, don’t forget to start your 14 days free Muvi trial today to see how our optimized live steaming can revolutionize your business today.
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