How to Get Started Building Your Own Video on Demand Website Like Netflix?

Written by sasha.sydney99 | Published 2020/07/26
Tech Story Tags: vod | video-on-demand | streaming-video | creating-video | online-video-platform | latest-tech-stories | build-an-app | software-development

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Last Updated — August 07 , 2023
In this article, I’ll walk you through what you need to take care before starting a VOD business and then how to create a video on demand website and app to sell your videos worldwide.
Earlier those days, there has been an entertaining piece that was known popularly as tele viewing after a long tiring day! When we use to search for something viewable & get disheartened with the least number of entertaining choices... 
But thank god there is a revolution today when it comes to media and entertainment which also offers you to earn your bread and butter through it too!! How amazing that is, isn't it! 
Due to the front end tech innovation of the media & entertainment industry now it has become worthwhile to have the audience's attention. 
Beyond any doubt streaming services like Netfllix, Hulu or Amazon Instant Video have got it covered and provide plenty of options to watch according to your choice in the form of videos-on-demand, movies, TV shows, events, etc,.. 
Now you must be wondering how to create your own video on demand platform and become a popular video streaming giant just like Netflix? 
Well, to know that, In this article, I’ll walk you through what you need to take care before launching a VOD business and then how to build a video on demand app to sell your videos worldwide.
What’s all About Video on Demand Website? 
On-demand streaming services are one of those trends that have been contemporary designed to start a video on demand business. Although it was started by the millennials, this mode of entertainment has caught on like wildfire with every generation starting from baby boomers to Gen Z. The prediction graphs favor the climate of video on demand business than any other form of entertainment.
The revenue of the video-on-demand industry is projected to reach US $36,509M in 2020. And the market is expected to grow at a rate of 3.6% which has a market volume of US $42,089 Million by 2024
With these exceptional stats, it’s a promising opportunity for content creators, distributors, production houses, studio owners to invest in building a video on demand website like Netflix. As 2020 is experiencing great opportunity for content creators, video on demand platforms no exception to reach the targeted audience and generate revenue. The word video-on-demand reflects the worth of Netflix -like applications that it has achieved. Creating a video streaming platform like Netflix can be achieved through certain parameters and technological understanding.
Now let’s know the nuances of making your own VOD platform with simple techniques…

How to Create Your Own Video On Demand Streaming App?

It is highly essential to know what kind of content will your video-on-demand platform stream?? 
To give a hint on how to create an apt streaming platform, we have gathered some ideas according to your industry to help you understand better…. 
Media & Entertainment - The old distribution model of film making needs to be considerably changed. So selling your best-graded content globally is the best choice for your own movie streaming platform, just like Netflix or Disney Hotstar.. 
Health & Fitness -  Prepare your entire business model that would be loved by people to pay for by building health-oriented video on demand website and have unlimited accessibility. Fitness enthusiasts can continue to maintain their fitness regime through interactive videos or via live streams.   
Education & Elearning - Teach your peers through customized E-learning video streaming platform with special E-classroom functionalities, categorical video-capture lectures and monetization models that best fits your business. 
Sports & Athletics - Keep up with content distributors to provide an ideal tech stack sports streaming services just like FuboTV, Hulu, AT&T and provide simultaneous streams with live mobile broadcasting hassle-free relays.
So now you must have got a fair idea as to how to start a video on demand business with its particular parameters keeping in mind. Now we’’ll take you further! 

Decide on the content availability

We know that your video streaming services are based on providing on-demand content that determines your choice of distribution. Possibly, there holds only two major options 
  1. Would you like to utilize on-demand video content from other content distributors?                                                                    
  2. Would you be interested in creating original content and distributing through your own authorized, self-hosted video streaming platform? 
Choice is yours! If you were to associate with other video content publishers, make sure to have licensing agreements in order to hold viewing rights to your target audience. 
Here to simplify it further, there are two choices to organize your VOD content effectively! 
  • One of it is, you could provide rental movies to your audience from an authorized distributor with authentic licenses. 
  • Second one talks about the copyright holder whom you can associate with and own the essential content copyrights. 
These legitimate options can favour you, according to your key video-on-demand streaming business goals that can help you to build the best video on demand website. 
So far you must be knowing what type of content should be put while understanding how to create your own VOD platform. Oh, my, that's essential!  
Also, it’s crystal clear as to what kind of procedures copyright protocols take for you to build a well-defined video on demand website just like Netflix. 
Just if we build an online video on demand platform with necessary functionalities, won’t be enough to run your revenues, right! It’s quite necessary to know what kind of resources will suffice your money-making business into a profitable one! 
Well, we'll help you answer that, don’t worry! 

Choose The Apt VOD Monetization Model:

In the line of entertaining VOD streaming market, there are three categories of building a video monetization platform dias helping you to flourish in this line of business. They are: 
  • Pay-Per-View - For your proposed video-on-demand solution you can go for the direct pricing scheme which means that you can charge your users for each video and can gain the best watching experience.  This model is also named as “Transactional Video-On-Demand”. You can make use of it broadcasting concerts, virtual conferences, sporting events or trade shows on your own streaming platform. 
  • Advertising - In your other prospective genre offusing on-demand streaming software, you can also charge other firms a fee for streaming video advertisements on your very own platform. Usually, this type of monetization is meant to be effective &  would benefit amongst users in your streaming website.
  • Subscription - You might as well know that Netflix uses the same subscription strategy for monetization. In this model, subscribers are charged a fee on a monthly basis to receive access to your content repository. You can very well use this monetization technique with regular release of new video content on your VOD platform. 
Next comes to understand the streaming requirements of your VOD platform & build a website  like Netflix…

Study The VOD Streaming App Requirements:

  • Internet Speed
Well, the internet speed impacts the ability of streaming high quality on-demand videos, so make sure your HD or 3D broadcasts have much higher internet speed.  
  • Cloud Hosting and Computing Architecture
On demand video streaming platform requires flexible cloud hosting solutions that provide quick video content access with lots of increased spaces. This is created using microservice architecture technology with many small units either & rendered on-premises or stored in a cloud server directly.   
  • Network Connectivity
Every video on demand solution depends on content delivery network integration that scales up your significant streaming business in future. So, increase your traffic using powerful CDNs to supplant your server networking.  
  • Security
Of course, you need to ensure that your video streaming service is safe and secure, across each and every authorized customer device, possibly. Thanks to the Multi DRM platform support where now you could also get and have IP-based access control to safeguard your noteworthy content. 
  • Payment Gateway
You can provide plenty of payment gateway options to your subscribers using varied financial payment support systems like Visa, MasterCard, PayPal or other credit/debit cards.  
Ok.. We have seen by all means you could entice your video monetization opportunities by considering several factors and know how to create a stunning streaming platform for yourself... 
Moving on, we'll focus on your dearest customers! 

Focus on your audiences:

You need to know for whom you are actually catering your on-demand streaming services, that helps to bring effectiveness in your proposed business model..  And majorly with business comes into role play only, via its ardent, supportive customers or your audience…
Don’t you want to have a focused say on them too? Of course, that’s vital too! Turn your audio and videos into assets through VPlayed’s video marketing solutions. Broadcast your content socially and create a wider range of audience networking.

VPlayed - A Perfect Video on Demand Solution For Content Owners

VPlayed is completely a customizable VOD streaming solution that helps content owners, businesses to build a video on demand platform like Netflix. The content owners or distributors can have complete ownership of the video on demand website with their own brand name. VPlayed is equipped with a scalable content management system to deliver the right content to the right audience irrespective of geographical locations. On top of it, VPlayed’s video on demand solution comprises multiple monetization models than Netflix to monetize each content based on preference.
So what makes this video on demand solution stand tall among the crowd? To put it into perspective, we have created a list of features that are the onus to VPlayed’s style of curating solutions.
Readymade Yet Customizable: Readymade solutions call for cutting down the hatching time. But that doesn’t mean your product should be monotonous or generic. Go for a solution that incorporates your expectations with customizations.
On Cloud/ On Premise Hosting: Where you store your data should be decided by you. VPlayed provides the choice of using cloud servers such as Microsoft Azure, Google, Akamai, AWS or building an on-premise hosting system.
3-tier Security: AES encryption, Access control, and Data Rights Management offer a secured pathway for your data to be streamed and published. These security measures make sure your content stays free from any kind of security breach or infringements.
Multiple Monetization Models: Monetize your content with a wide range of options at your dispense. Video on demand websites has promising returns in ads, subscription plans, transactional schemes, catch up and push TV monetizing models.
All Device Player (HLS): HTTP live streaming is a media streaming communication protocol that is used to stream video content hassle-free. HLS player breaks the overall video stream into small HTTP-based file downloads, resulting in faster, errorless streaming.
 
Video Content Management System: Manage, organize and, modify your digital content efficiently with VPlayed CMS that perpetuates a collaborative environment. Video CMS platform curates everything from format management, editing, to publishing.
 
Analytics: Get an in-depth analysis of your revenue stats, users and their activities with VPlayed metric graphs. The dashboard breaks down the timeline of the activities the users are engaging in with clear-cut numbers of watch count display, most favorited and most commented videos.
Multi-screen Support: Launch your video on demand platform like Netflix on multiple screens such as Smartphones, Smart TV, Web, TV Set-Top Boxes, Android, iOS platforms and much more. This increases the opportunity to reach a wider audience base irrespective of devices and targeted audience.

User Profile Management: The functionality enables your users to have a complete view of the activity based on their preferences like Watched movies, subscribed channels, Logged-in devices, activation and deactivation of subscription plans and much more.
Integrated Video Marketing: With all the essential marketing features, Market your entire content across devices and unlock the true potential of every content that helps to monetize. The marketing tools help to track and monitor your content reach within the video on demand platform to grow your audience base. 
Payment Method: Integrate multiple payment gateways to your platform with multi-currency compatibility. In addition, you can also view the duration each of your users has validity over their subscription, and when they would have to recharge again. The plans you provide for your users can be customized whenever you wish, with options to add new plans separately.
Unlimited Video Storage: Cloud or on-premise storage — Whatever your take may be, we do not drift from our quality. Get unlimited video/audio storage in any format and transcode with seamless operational quality.
Geographic Blocking of Video Content: Monitor and manage which content gets streamed where across the globe. Geo-blocking comes in handy to abide by national laws and have your platform in good books across borders.
Instant Playback & Return: Leave no space for buffering and latency. VPlayed offers instant playback with its advanced HLS player without having to worry about streaming ads, having high-end user-friendly UI and other customizations.

Conclusion:

Creating your own video on demand website is no simple task. But along with the giant comes even bigger positive outcome. So if you are an entrepreneur who is considering to venture into this stream of entertainment, think no further.
Make sure you fend to the needs of your focus population through your own VOD streaming platform with custom awe-inspiring features that woo them to your platform.

Published by HackerNoon on 2020/07/26