The transition that is happening in the digital landscape where people are consuming videos more than ever before offers a lot of new opportunities for businesses. The strong increase in internet speeds and devices that supports high-quality video consumptions is giving viewers more control over when and where to watch a video. With the trend of watching videos through smartphone apps gaining remarkable attention, an entire industry based on on-demand video streaming platforms has emerged in recent years. Content providers can leverage these opportunities by providing their offerings via VOD platforms.
If that is not enough, there are 7 reasons to start a video on demand business in 2020.
1. Demand Never Drops
Just have a look at the incredible numbers of Netflix to know that it has already replaced the broadcast TV as the center of peoples viewing culture. With over 183 million subscribers spread across the globe, Netflix features the highest-rated entertainment shows.
In the recent coronavirus quarantine times, all home entertainment services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc. are seeing higher viewership and increased member growth. If you are thinking about how to start a video on demand business, there is no better time than now. There are reasons for that- this demand is never going to end, but is only expected to rise tremendously in the coming years.
2. Flexibility and Convenience
Video on demand platforms like Netflix is accessible to everyone, anywhere, and at any time. Users can access the VOD platform with a single button click using the device of their choices like smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, or connected TV. No matter how wide is your user base, all of them can enjoy unlimited access. Offering worldwide connectivity and accessibility means you will have a broad global audience and can grow your business as a profitable one.
3. Quick and Low-Cost Setup
It is true that if you are developing an on demand video streaming platform from scratch, your VOD platform can cost you thousands of dollars. However, you necessarily don’t have to follow this development approach.
Consider creating a subscription video on demand service using a white label solution to customize your VOD platform according to your requirements. All the basic and advanced features would be included in the purchase and you can customize the design and features. When you start out, begin with minimal features and add better functionalities as you grow. Like every business, you need to consider some operating costs as well like domain and hosting.
4. It is really profitable
Having your VOD business is a lucrative revenue stream that can help you make a lot of money. Your content needs to be really good though, and you have to invest in marketing efforts to bring in audiences. If you are planning to create a subscription video on demand service, you receive a steady stream of income of every month provided that you have a stable user base.
Let’s look at some of the common VOD business models.
Subscription Video On Demand
Subscription video demand is the most common business model followed by most VOD businesses. This business model facilitates users to access TV shows and movies. Popular VOD platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime provide monthly subscriptions through multiple accounts so that up to 4 persons can access the platform through the same account on different devices.
Advertisement Video On Demand
Another business model is an advertisement-supported video on demand where users can access videos for free along with advertisements that play at the beginning, middle, or at the end of the video. For example, YouTube works primarily on this business model. You can use this business model for your on demand video streaming platform if you want to gain more users when you are starting out as the content is offered for free. However, if you don’t have good viewership, the income earned would be quite low. Another alternative is to use the advertising business model in combination with SVOD or TVOD which is going to be briefed below.
Transactional Video On Demand
Transactional video on demand is one of the flexible business models that allow you to enable customers to pay for each video they watch instead of subscribing to a package for unlimited users. Not all users might be interested in paying for accessing the entire content library. Instead, they would just prefer to watch the content they like. iTunes and YouTube are examples of TVOD business models.
5. You have Full Creative Control
If you are a media brand or an independent content creator, on demand video streaming platform of your own will give you complete control over the creatives. There are no guidelines you have to abide by, you create your own rules. You have the flexibility to set rules, design your platform the way you want, add the features you like without having to compromise your creative vision.
And, if you create movies, you don’t have to wait for streaming services like Netflix to buy your films. By putting up your creations on your VOD platform, you can control distribution, marketing, and pricing.
6. Offers Valuable Insights
Being a media brand that produces content, you need to constantly work on improving the customer experience as you expand. Setting up an on demand video streaming platform is not just an effective way to connect with your target audience, but is also a great platform to gain valuable insights about customer’s interests and preferences. VOD platforms come with in-built analytics and reporting tools that help you to collect customer data, including their viewing behavior, browsing history, watching time, etc. A well-structured video on demand business allows you to collect significant data from your audience which you can later use to improve customer experience and thereby refine your offerings.
7. You can Create a Passionate Online Community
If you take any of the popular video on demand platforms, they all have a strong online community which makes them prominent in the market. For example, if you take Netflix, the VOD giant has over 22.8 million followers on Instagram whom they engage using interactive images, memes, and videos.
Likewise, by creating a subscription video on demand service, you can also build a community around your niche that you are passionate about. It is easy to bring people together around a topic they love and creating a community that is passionate in that niche is one of the strong and profitable reasons to start a VOD business.
Creating your Video on Demand Platform
If you want to start a video on demand business, the first step is to create a full-fledged VOD platform to power your business. You might be surprised to learn that creating your own on demand video streaming platform is easy and affordable. If you are looking for faster deployment at effective costs, consider creating your VOD website using white label solutions. White label solutions are readymade scripts or clone scripts with all the standard features of Netflix. StreamView is the finest clone solution to launch your Netflix like website for your users.
With StreamView, you can customize your website to suit all your requirements from adding features to modifying the front-end UI. Integrate features like support for unlimited users and videos, multiple upload channels, dynamic admin panel, multiple monetization channels, PayPal payment gateway integration, native android, and iOS app, etc.
Conclusion
With online video consumption increasing rapidly, 92% of marketers believe that on demand videos are an important part of their marketing strategy. If you are a video production brand considering venturing into the niche of video on demand in 2020, think no further. And with advanced technology, it’s easier to do. Make sure you fend the requirements of your viewers through your VOD platform with custom features and functionalities that attracts them to your website. It is not just about the content you have in your VOD platforms, it’s about the experience you offer to your viewers. If you are looking for further assistance in building your VOD platform, get in touch with us. We will help you take your dream further.