When there are so many OTT/IPTV platforms on the market, it is hard to choose the one solution that will help you achieve your goals. You will probably want it to have all the necessary features to help you monetize your content, spread it, and smoothly operate.
We are here to help you. Let’s observe what features an IPTV/OTT platform should have so that you can take the most out of it.
If you want to create a video streaming platform, we recommend the Setplex solution. They have everything we described below and can offer more.
What are the three must-have features for an IPTV/OTT platform?
#1 IPTV/OTT data analytics
Analytics is what will help you enhance your service and thrive. Many businesses don’t track analytics data and postpone it. Consequently, they lose a lot of opportunities to understand their platform performance. They cannot find out what works and doesn’t work on the platform, which is important for business growth.
Analytics shows the weaknesses and strengths of your IPTV/OTT platform. You understand the performance of your content and service. If something doesn’t work, the analytics can show you that.
For example, viewers using iPhones cannot access your content. You will understand that and be able to take measures to improve the performance of the platform. Isn’t that great?
Analytics also can give you ideas on how to improve your content. You will figure out what videos people watch and which of them they skip. This can help you clarify what videos and information people are interested in and optimize your content strategy. So, analytics is the way to improve.
#2 Server-side ad insertion (SSAI)
Advertising is one of the ways to monetize your IPTV/OTT platform. It allows viewers to watch any amount of videos for free. The revenue is generated with the help of third-party advertisers. They seek such platforms to run their ads. They assume that you can have their target viewers contact you to negotiate about running ads. As a provider, you “sell” your audience to advertisers.
The problem is that many viewers use ad blockers so that they don’t see annoying ads. Consequently, advertisers and platform owners don’t benefit from that. They lose potential customers and revenue.
The solution to that problem is the SSAI (server-side ad insertion) technology. The ad blocker doesn’t recognize the ad inserted into a video with server-side ad insertion because the video and the ad are stuck together. The ad seems to be a part of the video. As a result, an ad can reach more people.
#3 Monetization capabilities
Money-generating is the primary function of IPTV/OTT platforms that businesses appreciate. That’s why platforms should have wide capabilities so that providers can receive a lot of revenue.
You can focus on one monetization model that matches your goals. In this case, there is no need to look for a solution with all three of them. You can find a simple solution with one revenue-generating approach and enjoy it.
There are three widespread monetization ways. Let’s explore these:
- Advertisement-based monetization model. We described it above. It helps you to generate revenue via ads made by other companies. Viewers don’t purchase access to your content. They just watch ads.
- Subscription-based monetization model. People purchase access to the platform for a period of time – a month or an entire year. Viewers can watch as many videos as they want with a subscription. It is easy to cancel. That’s another reason why people love them.
- Pay-per-view or transactional-based monetization model. Viewers pay for a video they want to watch right now or in the near future. It is up to a platform owner to decide whether the paid video will be available for a while or forever.
You can also obtain an IPTV/OTT solution that maintains three common models and combine several of them.
For example, you can allow people either to purchase a subscription or pay for every video separately. Moreover, you can divide your videos into two categories: those available on subscription and those requiring additional payment. Or you create two purchase plans: one subscription package will include ads but cost less and the other package will cost more but have no ads.
It is a hybrid monetization model that will offer more flexibility to your platform and more payment opportunities to your viewers.
Not all IPTV/OTT solutions can provide you with the capability to use it. That’s why you should consider thoroughly what you need.
Final Thoughts
Choosing an IPTV/OTT platform provider is an essential decision for a video streaming business. The solution will define a lot of things that you will encounter during the workflow – the monetization approach, user experience, and platform operation. Choose wisely!
