The variety of streaming platforms makes many companies think about creating a similar service. Especially when they see the success of similar companies. Why is this development direction so popular and what prospects does it have?
Best Practice
Speaking about a popular streaming platform everybody thinks about Netflix at once. Indeed, this resource has become the most popular and hyped among other online theatres. According to Statista Netflix earned more than 1,86 billion dollars in 2019. And the number of its subscribers reached 167 million users.
Netflix company was established in 1997 in the USA as a store for DVDs. In 2007, the company started its streaming service and in 2017 became the platform with the biggest number of subscribers in the world. Now it offers the original high-quality content, as well as the content from famous and niche directors.
Why So Popular?
The Netflix platform provides several key features.
1. Availability
The access is provided for various platforms, operating systems, and devices. It influences the increase of the fan base because the users can watch their favorite films and series in browsers, on tablets and smartphones.
2. Original content
Netflix streams original videos and third-party shows. Besides, some unique shows and programs can be watched only there.
3. No ads
The ads are shown only to those who have free access. When buying the premium access the users can watch the content without ads what is very attractive for new users.
4. Recommendation algorithm
The platform offers thousands of shows and series. The algorithm gathers information about your favorite content with the help of various resources. Machine algorithms analyze sorting, searching requests, rating, and many other parameters. The platform also divides all subscribers into categories and offers relevant content to each of them.
5. Advanced navigation
The users of the Netflix app receive the best user experience due to the user-friendly navigation. For example, the built-in video player allows scrolling video to 10 seconds back or forward (by double-tap), choose any available audio track and video subtitles. When the app is folded the player becomes a window working over other apps. Of course, we can’t mention the video synchronization on all devices. You can start watching your favorite series on the computer and keep on watching from the same moment on your smartphone.
How to Create a Netflix-like App?
If you are going to create a similar platform but have no idea where to start we recommend you to consult this check-list. It will help you to define your preferable result and start the development.
1. Find you niche
First and foremost is to understand what content you want to stream. For example, entertaining (brings more audience), educational (popular videos like “How does it work?”, tutorials), sporting (training for popular directions, healthy diets videos, etc.)
2. Decide on the source of your content
Now you should decide whether you will use the videos of other authors or create your own. In the first case, you will need to work with authors to get the rights. You will have to contact them directly or buy the video from a legal distributor.
3. Choose the model of monetization
Any video streaming service can’t exist without the monetization. As a rule, all platforms work on one of the following models:
- Pay per view (payment for the view of one chosen video. Suits for the streaming of concerts, conferences, sports events);
- Ads (launching of ads of other companies on your website. Works only if your platform has already become popular);
- Subscription (users pay some sum of money every month to watch the content in your library. The best monetization model if you are going to update your content).
4. Consider the functional
According to the model of the platform, decide which features you would like to implement. For example, user registration, subscription, search, push-notifications, reviews, and ratings. You also need to think about which platform you will host the service on. Of course, you should also keep in mind the design. A high-quality and attractive interface is extremely important for the success of your product.
Having thought through the features of your video streaming service, it will be easier for you to understand the cost of the project. Our experts are ready to help you and calculate the MVP, taking into account all your requirements and demands.
What are the Difficulties of Developing a Video Streaming Service on TvOS?
Our development team received an order to develop a Netflix-like streaming service for the TvOS platform. The task was to rewrite the iOS project from Objective-c to Swift, adapting it for a new generation of Apple TV.
At the first stage, our developers analyzed the iOS app and created a copy of the project. It was used to create an application with new architectural solutions. In particular, it was decided to use VIPER as a more flexible and consistent SOLID architecture.
In general, TvOS software development doesn’t differ much from iOS. However, we have revealed two main differences.
1) on iOS, iPad, and iWatch, all handling of the UI is fulfilled through taps and gestures. TvOS has a different mechanism: interaction is occurring via the Siri Remote using multi-touch gestures. The element is focused, and we can choose.
2) TvOS consoles are weak in power. Therefore, when developing it is necessary to focus on the functionality that will be less demanding for them.
Otherwise, the development of an app for TvOS was no different from the development of iOS apps. Our team was able to efficiently transfer all the necessary functional and implement the customer’s demands.
Conclusion
Developing a video streaming service is a long, but interesting and promising process. If you are looking for a team of developers for your product, our experts will create it at a high level! Write to us and tell us about your ideas!
Originally published at https://joy-dev.com/how-we-developed-the-video-streaming-app-like-netflix-for-tvos/ on December 4, 2020.
