Video on demand (VOD) apps offer the flexibility of watching videos on any device and any time, making it a preferred choice for entertainment-on-the-go. The market for video streaming app is growing at nearly 40% per year and is expected to generate nearly US $ 70 billion by the year 2024.
Market survey shows that the number of subscribers for VOD apps has been increasing rapidly, with more people shifting from traditional entertainment platforms such as cable and satellite television to video streaming apps.
The popularity of video streaming apps lies in the fact that the users can determine on what they want to watch and when to watch. Also, these devices work on multiple devices, which make it more convenient for users.
If you are planning to create a video streaming app like Hotstar, you need to first decide on the wireframe, design, infrastructure and other features as well as the resources required to build the app.
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All these factors will determine the overall cost to create an entertainment app like Hotstar. In this blog, we will first explore the essential features of video streaming apps and then evaluate the factors that will determine the cost to create an app lie Hotstar.
Features of Video Streaming Apps
The essential features of video streaming apps are:
Video Library
The video library or catalog contains all the videos, movies, shows and other content that your users can access. For ease of access, classify the videos and organize them into different categories.
Interactive User Interface
One of the most important features of the video streaming app is an interactive user interface that makes it easy for users to access all the features and options you have on your VOD app.
Watch List
The watch list offers users an option to save the videos that they want to watch later or recommend for others.
Search Option
The search option makes it easy for users to search for a particular video or movie in the catalog. It saves time and helps improve user experience.
Access Control
You can offer options for login using email, social media platform or phone number with password or OTP.
Reporting Features
Reporting feature with in-built analytics will help you track details such as videos watched, videos liked, downloaded and shared.
All these reporting options can help you personalize your offers and suggestions for each user and help improve user experience.
Payment Options
Offer multiple payment options for your users. Apart from cards and net banking also provide other popular payment gateways for users to make their payments.
Offline Viewing
You can offer your subscribers the option to download videos and view offline.
Privacy Option
This option will allow users to restrict others from accessing the watch list. Those who don’t want to share their watch history can also activate the privacy controls. The privacy feature should also offer users the option to limit videos for kids.
Factors That Determine the Cost of Designing the App:
When you are planning the budget for your entertainment app designing, there are three major factors that you should consider.
1) Software and Hardware
License and Subscription:
You will need a video content management system and a Cloud storage system for your entertainment app. While there are free and open source apps, for best performance, it would be preferable to for licensed systems.
Platform:
The cost to create an app like Hotstar will depend on whether you’re planning to have an Android app or an iOS app. Android app development will probably be a little expensive compared to iOS apps.
It is because Android apps need to be devised for multiple devices and screen sizes. However, as the number of Android users is higher compared to iOS users, it would be a better idea to invest in Android entertainment app.
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App Design:
The complexity of the design is a huge factor that will determine the overall cost to create an entertainment app like Hotstar.
2) App Features
The cost will be minimal if you just want to provide core features in the app as listed above. If you offer specialized features and more customization options, the cost of app building could get higher.
You can add advanced features such as geolocation, push notifications, booking calendar, screen mirroring, social media integration and data sync if you have the budget.
3) Resource Cost
Another major factor that will determine the cost to create an app like Hotstar is the resource utilization. If you have an in-house team to build your app, then you should have a dedicated team with research analysts, mobile app designers, developers and testers.
The remuneration of these employees, investment on software and hardware for the team and other overhead expenses will add to your budget.
If you are looking for a cost-effective solution, then you can outsource your entertainment app development services to a reputed mobile app development company.
You can negotiate the entire cost of building the app within the budget and get expert services of experienced professionals.
The agency will consider the number of hours/resources for research, app designing, app development, testing and prototyping while giving you the approximate cost for building the app. The pricing is determined in two ways:
Hourly pricing: The agency will bill you based on a pre-determined number of hours for building the app
Resource-pricing: The agency will bill you based on the number of resources allocated for your entertainment app project
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Conclusion
Considering the amount of time and cost required to create an entertainment app like Hotstar, we suggest you outsource app building services to a reputed app development company.
This way, you will not only get the best value for your investment, but also expert professionals working on you entertainment app.
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