Zype's VP of Product, Chris Bray, introduces the new generation of Zype Apps Creator and why it should be your choice for building beautiful, no-code OTT applications for every streaming platform.
For years, content providers have relied on Apps Creator (formerly known as MAZ Systems) to build and launch quality, no-code OTT applications. When MAZ was acquired by Zype in August 2021, it gave us the opportunity to invest in new features and capabilities so that we could give our customers the Enterprise-grade platform they need to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace.
With this new generation of Apps Creator, our software has gone through a ground-up backend rewrite to offer greater scalability, reliability and more responsive app building. Apps Creator customers now have direct access to the latest features and can manage their app configurations directly through the new dashboard.
There are many exciting new features to talk about, but there are a few that really make our offering a step above. Here’s a look at what’s new:
A Deeper Integration with Zype’s CMS and CRM
From User Identity to CMS, Streaming Platform and Apps Creator now have a deeper integration which will allow for greater efficiency when using both platforms together. The videos going from the Zype CMS to Apps Creator are no longer passed via MRSS feeds, but instead Apps Creator now talks to the CMS directly via the Zype API.
This enhanced integration with Zype CMS and CRM allows you to do things like:
- Take advantage of SSO capabilities to enable consistent user identity management across tools
- Control content presented in apps via the CMS API
- Have video metadata, video libraries and playlist updates made in Zype CMS automatically transfer over to Apps Creator
And if you don’t want to use Zype’s CMS? You can still bring your own CMS or CRM. Apps Creator still supports MRSS feeds when Zype is not used as the CMS.
Flexible Monetization Options: AVOD, SVOD & TVOD
Zype Apps Creator has always supported AVOD and SVOD models, but now TVOD monetization allows customers to purchase or rent for a limited time, individual videos or bundles of Series, Seasons, Episodes, Movies, PPV Events and more. Using an AVOD monetization model, customers can connect with integrated ad servers including Google Ad Manager, SpringServe, SpotX and other VAST or VPAID compliant platforms.
If choosing an SVOD monetization model, content owners can offer end-user entitlements for either Single-Tier or Multi-Tier subscriptions. More than one type of subscription plan can be offered at the same time. Each subscription tier can contain different content, and can be offered at different prices, from free subscription models to different payment levels. Users have the option to customize tiers as needed, with the ability to add either individual videos or collections of videos (including playlists) to different subscription tiers, with the ability for assets to belong to multiple catalogs and tiers at once.
For transaction-based or TVOD monetization models, customers can take advantage of our integration with Cleeng which provides subscriber management tools, and web app customers can also use the integration as a payment gateway. Entitlements purchased through Cleeng via the web app are honored on all app platforms.
App Customizations Based on Region & Languages
Our latest version of Apps Creator makes it easy to customize your apps based on regions and create personalized app experiences that are sure to engage audiences.
With multi-region configuration, you can program your apps to look, feel and behave differently in different regions. Customers have the flexibility to choose whether an app uses different integrations or presents different content based on the country or region the user is in. The end-user IP address is used to determine the country, which then determines the region. Customers can also choose to block content from displaying based upon a user’s region or country.
Our multilingual support allows customers to present a native UX with the ability to customize in-app menu labels, video metadata, and thumbnails in multiple languages according to an end-user’s specific country or region. Apps Creator supports a wide range of languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, and Greek. Multi-language support is available in apps for both built-in menu labels and customer-supplied metadata.
Additional Enterprise-Grade Features, Advanced Analytics and Security
Zype’s Advanced Analytics solution can now be extended to customers’ apps created with Apps Creator. Advanced Analytics will be available for purchase as an Add-On to Apps Creator plans.
In addition to supporting Advanced Analytics, Google Analytics 4 is now available in addition to Google Universal Analytics. The next generation of Google Analytics uses machine learning to unearth insights about the customer journey across platforms and devices. It also provides enhanced, seamless integrations with Google’s advertising platforms to optimize campaign performance and drive greater marketing ROI. Additional details on GA functionality can be found here.
Protecting content from unauthorized distribution and viewership is essential for any Enterprise-grade streaming solution. Apps Creator customers can enable DRM on mobile apps for Widevine, FairPlay and PlayReady. DRM can be applied to all VOD video, and DRM configuration can be purchased as an add-on service.
Additional enterprise-grade features include new layout designs, podcast RSS feed support on mobile, and XMLTV feed support for the production of beautiful electronic programming guides, in either grid or list form, within all apps across all platforms.
Your Go-To Solution for No-Code App Building
Apps Creator enables media companies looking to expand their reach into new markets and to deliver their content through multi-screen experiences across a variety of streaming platforms quickly and reliably without having to make multimillion-dollar, multi-year investments into software development and infrastructure.
This second generation of Apps Creator is rich with features and functionality that will deliver a premium app experience so businesses can get in-market quickly with beautiful, marketplace compliant apps.
If you have questions about our latest version of Apps Creator or if you’d like to see a demo of the product, contact us!
Chris Bray, VP Product
Chris Bray is the VP of Product Management at Zype, with a special focus on the Zype Apps Creator Platform. In this role, he leads all major product innovations on the platform, leveraging his 20+ years of product management and engineering expertise.