Must-have Features For a Live-Video Streaming Application

The Over-The-Top services have gained a lot of popularity ever since YouTube started their services all around the world. The competition in this domain has been grown to the extent that one always has to be innovative enough to stand out there in the world. If you’re looking forward to creating your own live-video streaming application with a few easy steps then have a look here. The giants in this domain have always been boasting about the humongous subscribers they serve to, and the features they offer to the latter. Let me get you warmed up with some facts given below:

• According to Digiday, there are over 200 OTT services in the U.S.
• According to Adweek, the top five OTT services by the number of subscribers are:
  • Netflix
  • Amazon Prime Video user
  • Hulu
  • HBO now
  • Starz
• According to Digiday, Netflix is considered the top spender in OTT content, having budgeted $8 billion for content in 2018,
• According to Digiday, Facebook will pay up to $3 million per 30-minute episode for premium content for the watch,
• Multichannel has stated that global OTT revenues are predicted to reach $129 billion by 2023 and $47.8 billion in the U.S.

Have you ever thought why Netflix Original gets a huge shootout? What takes to get into the elite section? What do these giants have and your application does not? What are these valuable features that pull a huge number of customers from other small players despite a good content library? So, find all the answers in the following paras. Let’s not beat around the bush and start with listing these down.

Let’s Start With the Basic Features of Live-Streaming Video Application

1. Search & Watch List, User Registration

User registration is one of the basic features that not only every OTT services providing applications have but almost every application has it. These should include some simple steps of filling-in user information. Search is another prominent yet basic feature to be available on an application and last but not the least watch list is also an imperative building block in OTT services providing applications.

If you’re a start-up or an entrepreneur and planning to create OTT services providing application then wait no more.

2. Screen-Sharing/Mirroring

Just think of making your users watch the content they love on a bigger screen as if it’s their favorite series or a movie or they want to watch it with their friends? So, to stand out of your competitors you should implement this beforehand. It’ll also give an edge to your application.

3. Payment Gateway Integration

Ever thought that an application designed for business won’t support a payment gateway? It’s impossible to think of having a situation like that. So, it’s an essential feature to integrate into your business application.

Main Features of Live- Streaming Video Application

Let’s just move ahead with the must-have features in your live-streaming application. Find them below and create your competitive advantage by implementing them into your application.

1. In-app Video Downloading

This is one of the most popular features that YouTube just rolled out a few years ago, and it went amazingly well and now almost all the applications are having this one, so it’s a ‘must-have’ one. The in-app downloading feature focuses on the user’s unavailability of the internet while he’s out of network or whatever be the cause. So he can get it downloaded and watch it later even when he’s offline.

2. Live to VOD Content

As the term is self-explanatory, live to VOD content feature is also a ‘must-have’ one because of those who miss out the live telecast can watch it later on when it’s converted to Video-On-Demand (VOD). Just think of integrating this feature in your application, this will pull a large number of audiences and your application will gain popularity as well, you’ll have the best of both the worlds.

3. Protection from Screen-recording

The entire content on your application will be copyrighted and require license or permission from a higher authority to be made online, why would one want it to be recorded? This feature isn’t just beneficial for you, but also for the content creator as well(the one you’re paying for the content to be streamed on your application).

4. Real-time Chatting with Live-streaming on the Go

Imagine you live very far from your friend’s house and you guys want to watch a live sport together. The best feasible option to go with is having an application that has a real-time chatting feature for any live-streaming episode which makes you feel like you’re there along with your dearest friend. There can also be an option to chat on global (people around the world) or in an isolated room with only your friend.

5. Smart Logins

While on one hand conventional methods described on logging into your account with e-mails and passwords, on the other hand, smart logins include logging in your accounts on social media say, Facebook Twitter to facilitate the process of login. Also, One-Time-Passwords can be used to login which is sent on your email or your registered mobile phone. In this way, a user need not to remember another password from a list of other million ones.

6. Should Understand What a User Wants to Watch (Recommendation Engine)

User’s preferences, time spent on watching a type of content, and various other data sets can be obtained by Analytics from certain user actions. These analytics can be used to add-on more personalization features for a particular user to engage him more with the content. Various other suggestions can be provided to the user based on his interests, demographics etcetera.

7. Flexible Subscriptions (In-app Purchases)

Oh, you’re a premium member, right? What if you’re not, what if you’re just browsing through content and liked only a few premium videos? Or you just wish to watch the finals of a cricket or soccer season? This feature lets a user do that. A flexible subscription is one or another way of encouraging users to purchase specific content without even buying the entire monthly-membership. In this way, a user is engaged more to the application and compelled to buy at least something.

At last, I wish to say don’t just stick to these; there’s always a field for improvements. Remember, these features will be your competitive advantage in the streaming business over other competitors and will help you grow as a brand.