2020 has been a time of growth for digital media and OTT streaming businesses. Research shows that video streaming has grown tremendously, especially since stay-at-home orders went into effect. While phone and desktop consumption have been leading this surge, connected TV is not far behind and has expanded its reach.
So is your business prepared for growth on OTT? What factors and criteria should you consider when launching or growing a video streaming service? It’s important to keep your OTT offerings well-rounded and up to standard. That’s why we put together this quick and easy checklist, to help you think it through.
Read on below for the 4 most important must-haves for any OTT business. And to get started building and launching your own OTT websites and apps, get in touch with us here at MAZ.
1. Video Hosting
The first element you need to get started is video hosting. You should be able to host your content economically and stream it seamlessly to your viewers. When it comes to hosting, you have a variety of options. Some will cost more than others, but the important thing is that your streams are organized, available and reliable.
So, what most of the OTT players need is a strong solution that is affordable and effective. If you’re looking for a service like this, get in touch with MAZ. Our built-in video hosting service is the perfect solution for businesses of all sizes.
2. Monetization
The second most important aspect of your OTT business is being able to monetize your content. A business needs to generate revenue after all! Many OTT businesses use a subscription or SVOD model. Tools like MAZ gives publishers the ability to do just this, with metered paywalls. Using MAZ, you can introduce paywalls that filter by time or number of videos. That way, users can enjoy a free trial and subscribe when they feel comfortable.
Ad-driven businesses have also been growing quickly in 2020. So running ads on your OTT app and website is a great way to monetize without charging viewers. Again, MAZ’s tools integrate with all of the top ad servers including SpotX, Google Ad Manager, native sponsorships and more.
In-app promotions are an easy way to drive up in-app subscriptions and ad revenue. Catchy banners, onboarding screens and sponsor screens help catch your viewers’ attention. Luckily, MAZ also offers all of these tools as well. So no matter how you want to monetize, having a strong technology partner is your best bet.
To build monetizable OTT websites and apps, try MAZ here.
3. Accessibility and compliance
Two things that you cannot overlook are accessibility and compliance. With various countries/regions enforcing their own data privacy compliance laws, it becomes very important to be compliant. ADA, CCPA, GDPR are just a few of the most prominent ones. But I bet you haven’t heard about similar laws for Brazil and Korea! Luckily MAZ enables publishers to be compliant with all major laws.
4. Distribution
Lastly, you need to make sure your content reaches your audiences. While letting you publish your app on the Apple App Store, Amazon AppStore, Google Play Store, and the Roku channel store, MAZ now has MAZ Web that lets you expand your audience reach and take the same beautiful OTT app with all the features intact to the web browsers. So, add MAZ Web to your website and start making more revenue.
Oh wait, one more thing. Do you think your users would want to be able to purchase content on one platform and enjoy access by logging into the app on any other platform? Well, MAZ does that too. We’ve been the #1 OTT business solution for many years now, which is why hundreds of top video brands and millions of users trust MAZ.
Get in touch with MAZ here to see how we can help grow your business. And happy streaming!
Written by Areeb Ahmad, Director of Quality Assurance at MAZ
