The streaming industry is constantly expanding, and advancements in technology such as OTT and IPTV have altered the overall content viewing experience. Choosing the best OTT & IPTV solution for your company necessitates detailed understanding and extensive investigation. The most crucial step in ensuring a reliable and long-term service is to study the organisation providing the service. The one that appears to be successful on paper may be on the edge of bankruptcy, has never earned a profit, or only recently opened its doors. The selection of the right OTT and IPTV solution provider should not be a gamble, but rather a strong basis for your company's operations.
What is the ideal OTT and IPTV solution?
An ideal OTT and IPTV solution is a future-proof platform that considers both the present and future needs of the media and entertainment industries, as well as the needs of consumers, in order to give a superior experience across all key platforms.
It is built on cutting-edge technology that improves content storage and distribution while increasing revenue options. It offers a seamless streaming experience with a diverse range of content with a single login and subscription. With a single infrastructure, you can generate multiple income streams while improving branding, giving a better customer experience, and increasing profitability.
Who is a suitable solution provider?
The foundations of every service-based business organisation are credibility, innovation, and customer experience. The solution provider must be the one that is always striving to improve its products and services in order to help its clients get a competitive edge in the market. Some of the major aspects you should look for in a solution provider include the passion to consistently develop and produce best-in-class solutions, exceptional service, and 24/7 support.
Checklist of paramount importance for selecting the right solution:
Content
Content aggregation, content discovery, and the watching experience have all become increasingly crucial as the number of OTTs on the market has surged. Users are more inclined to stick around if they can find material quickly.
The right platform enables customers to access all premium content with a single login on a single subscription by aggregating content from all major OTTs on a single platform. It allows direct playout, app-in-app playout, and deep linking of apps to provide consumers with an uninterrupted streaming experience.
The right platform enables customers to access all premium content with a single login on a single subscription by aggregating content from all major OTTs on a single platform. It allows direct playout, app-in-app playout, and deep linking of apps to provide consumers with an uninterrupted streaming experience.
The platform catalogue has a clear distinction of content genres and categories (such as Live, Shows, Movies, Web Series, and so on), as well as convenient navigation options for content discovery. Furthermore, the platform must facilitate the insertion and maintenance of regional content in order to retain local relevance with clients. Support for local ad infusion boosts revenue. The use of a White Label OTT solution improves branding and customer experience.
IPTV
The IPTV solution offered by the provider must be compatible with all sorts of screen devices, such as Smartphones and Smart TVs, to ensure that video quality is not compromised. The provider's IPTV bouquet must include both paid and free channels (HD and SD). Most significantly, the IPTV system must be TRAI-audited in order to be legal and to provide an uninterrupted watching experience with minimum or zero latency.
To provide IPTV service to an MSO which already provides linear content, the solution must be capable of turning their feed into an IP signal that can be delivered over the internet.
Set-Top-Box
The provider's Set-Top Boxes (STB's) should be hybrid. Hybrid STBs are created using cutting-edge technology. They operate via the internet and let users to receive OTT content as well as conventional channels through a single interface, eliminating the need for separate input for linear channels. They also come with pre-installed applications (such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, ZEE5, HotStar, and so forth) that viewers may easily access.
Make certain that the STBs available are Google and Amazon approved. The accreditation ensures content security and app performance, ensuring secure access to premium content and apps.
Edge Delivery
The streaming industry's audience is growing at a rapid pace, with millions of people watching online content at the simultaneously. The solution provider must be able deliver the content without compromising quality or latency.
The Cloud Delivery Network (CDN) transports content to the customer's location and distributes it from the edge to prevent latency while offering a high-quality experience on any device, anywhere. As a result, be certain that the supplier includes CDN hardware and software as part of the solution.
The Cloud Delivery Network (CDN) transports content to the customer's location and distributes it from the edge to prevent latency while offering a high-quality experience on any device, anywhere. As a result, be certain that the supplier includes CDN hardware and software as part of the solution.
Supporting services that a solution provider must provide in conjunction with the platform:
Digital Rights Management (DRM)
Without effective security measures, the distribution of video material may result in piracy and illicit usage, impacting overall income and efforts. As a result, having a content protection system is critical to properly monetizing and safeguarding material.
The solution provider must have their own Digital Rights Management (DRM) system in place to protect material from piracy and unlawful use. DRM guarantees that video is encrypted and saved and transferred in order to be delivered to approved users and their devices.
The solution provider must have their own Digital Rights Management (DRM) system in place to protect material from piracy and unlawful use. DRM guarantees that video is encrypted and saved and transferred in order to be delivered to approved users and their devices.
Subscription Management System
In addition to offering the latest technological platform for OTT and IPTV, the solution provider should give an easy-to-use Subscription Management Software (SMS) to help manage client subscriptions. For easy tracking and administration, the SMS delivers precise insights into the client subscriptions, consumption, and transactions.
Transcoder
To provide the greatest video experience for online viewers, real-time transcoding with adaptive bitrate is essential. As a result, the solution provider must expand transcoding support services that enable simultaneous transcoding for all sorts of video quality formats (Full HD and SD channels) while safeguarding, archiving, and providing video streams for an improved watching experience.
If you can ensure that the solution provider incorporates the aforementioned facilities and features as part of the solution, it would be a huge success regardless of whatever OTT and IPTV service provider you choose for your business and your consumers.