5 reasons why you should have your own OTT app

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Digitization has successfully entered the entertainment industry, and consumers are now shifting to smart TVs and mobile streaming. 

With multiple benefits of them anytime, anywhere, and on any device, entertainment, the over-the-top application is the harbinger of modern entertainment. Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, etc., are some of the popular OTT mobile apps.

A quick look at the OTT data reveals that it is not only in current demand but is here to stay. Do you know that revenue in the OTT video segment is set to cross 281,659 million USD in 2022? 

With half of the Wi-Fi-connected homes in the United States using any OTT mobile app for at least 100 minutes daily, these numbers are increasing quickly. 

This brings attention to the content creators under consistent pressure to produce quality content and ensure their content reaches the audience. 

Further, staying high in the competitive online media is incomplete without a user-friendly OTT mobile app. 

Here are all the reasons why any content creator must develop their own OTT apps.

What is an OTT mobile app?

The dedicated mobile apps that deliver over-the-top content directly to the user’s device with a seamless internet connection are termed OTT mobile apps. 

It eliminates the use of satellite TV or local cable services that come with traditional entertainment options only. 

OTT mobile apps need a compatible device- Android or iOS, and internet connection over the long list of hardware needed for satellite TV or local cable services. 

These apps drive subsequent revenue for content creators and broadcasters as they offer a range of entertainment like live streams, on-demand videos, etc. 

Do you know that 82% of US consumers have, on average, at least four video streaming subscriptions? Let us try to understand the reasons for the success of these OTT services. 

Why are OTT mobile apps successful?

The television audience is looking for reliable, affordable, and a variety of quality content for their entertainment needs. 

Before developing your own OTT app, it is important to understand why it is a hit with the audience. The key factors contributing to the successful business of OTT apps include:

• Customization and control: The customers select any OTT platform over the other based on the allowed customization and control features only. 

As cable TV fails to offer such high levels of affordable customization, customers love to have a content library based on unique priorities or likings.

• Multiple device access: OTT mobile apps can be accessed from any device at any time and from any place. 

There are no dedicated hardware requirements except for a seamless internet connection. Further, it ensures that users never miss quality content.

• Affordable entertainment: The difference between the cost of a household cable package and an OTT mobile app subscription confirms that OTT is highly affordable. 

The rate of a household cable package in the US is 217.42USD monthly, while any OTT subscription is near to its half only. Hence, users prefer OTT for affordable entertainment.

Top 5 reasons to have your own OTT mobile app:

Any content creator or business having a dedicated audience for their content can go for developing their own OTT apps. The powerful reasons to introduce OTT mobile apps in your business strategy include:

• Controlling the data: It is easy to control the online streamed data with OTT mobile apps. 

Once the data is under the control of the content creator, it attracts multiple other benefits like content monetization, creating a brand, offering the ultimate user experience, etc. 

Further, the data generated by users on any OTT platform ensures that businesses can work in the right direction to make informed and data-driven decisions. 

This is helpful for the content creators or businesses that want to pursue OTT as a long-term business benefit. 

• Monetizing the content: Ideally considered one of the primary reasons for developing your own OTT apps, monetizing the content is needed for many content creators and businesses. 

The return-on-investments on free platforms are negligible when compared to the costs of creating content.

Further, monetizing the content ensures that OTT can be a long-term business prospect.

Multiple options of monetizing content like donation requests in free live streams, crowdfunding the series, subscription-based channels, etc., can be simple but effective steps. 

It is easy to sell sponsorships to different brands and create an advertisement bank with increasing subscribers. 

• Monitoring brand and user experience: It is impossible for any OTT business or content creator to create and monitor their brand on free platforms like YouTube. 

The reason is common as these platforms host multiple channels and entertainment sources and offer endless viewers endless recommendations. 

Creating, monitoring, and earning from the OTT brand is possible only if it hosts your specific content and brings the best to a different section of the audience. 

Further, the viewers never feel frustrated in the traffic of recommendations as they exactly know where to look for the content. 

Further, businesses can partner with the OTT app development companies to ensure a high-end user experience. 

• Creating direct-to-consumer business: The jump from free entertainment platforms to OTT mobile apps can be daunting for many businesses. 

All it takes is a detailed content strategy, audience strategy, and successful partnerships with the top mobile app development companies. 

The direct-to-consumer business can work wonders if any content creator interacts with the audience, has an increasing database, and starts working on the distribution to outside channels for promotions. 

These mobile apps can help OTT businesses reduce customer churn to a significant ratio.

• Selecting content creators as a career: The content creators may have started sharing content on free platforms, but soon the time comes that they feel the need to control this data. 

Many platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, etc., use the data of different content creators for their business purposes. 

The OTT mobile apps can help businesses target audiences and create a dedicated distribution strategy. 

When it comes to making content creation a career, many businesses prefer to simultaneously share content on OTT and free platforms. 

OTT remains the final branded content destination that can drive the audience from free platforms. Hence, it becomes easy to pursue content creation as a profit-making career with the OTT app.

How to create OTT mobile apps?

It is great to outsource the OTT app creation to a professional and experienced OTT app development company. 

Any business or content creator can seek professional help to launch OTT mobile app for Android or iOS devices. 

With a little awareness of the security features, content licenses, and seamless payment gateway integrations, it is possible to manage the OTT app development cost. 

Wrapping Up

Days are not far when the subscribers will permanently disconnect from linear television and will switch to OTT platforms only. 

With the average revenue per user (ARPU) in the OTT video segment projected to reach 85.85USD in 2022 only, having a dedicated OTT mobile app can be the best decision for any business. 

The companies only need to pay attention to the current market trends and understand the market needs before launching the dedicated OTT mobile app.

When it comes to the professional benefits of having an OTT app, an experienced OTT app development company can be the best tool to enter the competitive markets. 

The OTT media market is huge and hence possesses great potential for harnessing business growth.

Editor’s Note: Saurabh Sharma is a Digital Marketing Executive at Arka Softwares, a leading salesforce development company. He has 2 years of experience in the Information Technology industry. He spends his time reading about new trends in Digital Marketing and the latest app development technologies.

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