Cable television viewership numbers have drastically plummeted in recent years. In its place, online video streaming applications have gained immense traction. Smartphone applications have enabled entertainment seekers to access their favorite shows in a way like never before. On-demand, at any time, individuals can today watch a plethora of shows at their convenience no matter where they are. 

With an average internet connection, hundreds and thousands of TV shows, movies, documentaries and more are available at the tap of a button. What’s more is that video streaming apps not only stream videos but also offer a multitude of features such as multi-language subtitles and more. People love a good video streaming app and the video streaming niche is teeming with opportunities. Now’s a great time to build a video streaming app like Netflix. Here’s how.

What is a video streaming app?

Plenty of TV shows and movies are available on cable television, but they follow a schedule. In today’s fast paced lifestyle, catching your favorite show or film at the right time can be a difficult task. When smartphone applications emerged in the market, it revolutionized the way people used the internet. As servers became more capable of handling large amounts of data, it became possible to store a vast sea of shows on the cloud. Following this, smartphone applications became the perfect medium to offer an extensive database of films and series to viewers.

Using the internet, video streaming apps are downloadable softwares that stream a plethora of videos for the entertainment of consumers. They offer a wide variety of features and have several advantages over the conventional way of watching entertainment on cable TV.

What is the scope of building a video streaming app like Netflix?

The shift in the trend of viewers withdrawing from conventional ways of watching TV and moving on to video streaming applications for their dose of entertainment is drastic. This evolution was predicted well in advance. The convenience that applications like Netflix provide is unmatched. Their popularity has surged so high that Netflix, the American media-services provider alone generated a whopping revenue of $1,579.4 crores in 2018, largely due to its smartphone application. 

This sector has become a hotbed for entrepreneurs who are looking to attract a large number of customers. With a comprehensive video streaming smartphone application, you can compete with the industry’s leaders like Amazon Prime and Netflix. Here’s how you can get started.

The pre-requisites of building a Netflix like app

Before getting started on developing the application, there are a certain set of questions you need to ask yourself and have clear answers to. They will help you:

• Streamline your objectives
• Reduce friction
• Speed up the development process
• Increase the prospects of the application

Millions of applications inundate app stores. While only a handful of them rank at the top and garner millions of users, the rest don’t quite make it. Therefore it is imperative that you ask yourself pivotal questions such as:

• What is the goal of your smartphone application?
• What region will you launch your mobile software in?
• Who is your average customer?
• Who is your competition?
• What is making your competition fare well in the market?
• What will be your marketing strategy?
• How will you keep your customers engaged before and after the launch of the application?

After answering all of those questions, you will be ready to move on to the development phase of your video streaming app.

Must-have features in a video streaming application

To deploy a robust video streaming application that matches current industry standards, you must make sure that your software has the latest features. The more control you give customers over how they view shows on your app, the more they will use your streaming service. 

Often, the first thing that comes to the minds of entrepreneurs when they want to develop an app is to build it from scratch. It is merely one method of developing an application, and is most commonly known for being slow, expensive and cumbersome. An alternate solution that new players in the smartphone app segment highly prefer is clone app solutions. 

Clone app solutions enable you to visualize, develop, and launch a fully functional app, all within a short span of time without compromising on the quality and performance of the software. They offer you advantages like:

• Customizability
• Scalability
• Reduced cost of development
• Fast time to market

Since you’re developing a video streaming application, the best clone software to use is a Netflix clone app. It comes with preloaded essential features such as:

• Sign-up / Sign in

Users can effortlessly register on the app. On signing in they can save and retrieve payment credentials and personal preferences.

• Browse catalog

A wide range of TV shows and movies is available for users to browse through. Users will be able to stream any content they choose to watch.

• Search filters

In addition to browsing the catalog of shows, users can narrow down their search by using filters to view specific genres like comedy, horror, drama and more. Alternatively, the search bar can be used to find content by keywords.

• Favorite list / Watchlist

Users will be able to save their favorite list of shows and also add movies or shows to a watchlist they want to watch later.

• Rate content

Users can rate the shows they watch on a scale of 1-5. This will help generate reviews for content and will in turn help potential viewers to know the rating of what they are about to watch.

• Multiple payment modes

The convenience of being able to pay with either credit/debit cards or online payment wallets will make it easy for customers to make transactions and subscribe to your services.

Summing up

There are many lucrative areas in the smartphone application market. One of the most popular sectors that is brimming with millions of customers is the video streaming segment. By launching your very own Netflix like app using a Netflix clone, you can stand out from the competition and garner an expansive ocean of customers in no time. Get started today.