Technological advancements have resulted in the booming of the streaming market, creating tremendous opportunities. Grand View Research predicts that the video streaming market will reach $416.8 billion by 2030. The main element leading this growth is Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD). It offers creators and businesses a definite way to monetise content.

If you are planning to start a Netflix-like Subscription Streaming Service, now is the right time. However, a successful SVOD platform isn’t just about uploading videos. It needs a clear strategy, strong technology and a user-centric mindset.

This article provides detailed information, enabling you to build a streaming service that excels ahead of the competition.

How to Plan Strategy and Build Content?

First and foremost, it’s essential to develop a strategy. A successful project stands firm on a strong foundation.

1. Defining Niche and Audience

Identify your niche. A niche leads you to focus on your target audience. Your platform might be dedicated to fitness, entertainment or education. A focused niche helps you plan strategically and keeps you out of the crowd.

Here are a few tips to choose your niche and audience:

• Do extensive market research. It will help you find gaps and opportunities.
• Statista and Google Trends are a few standard tools that help you understand viewer traits.
• Create user personas based on age, location, interests and device usage patterns.

As an example, take younger audiences who prefer mobile-first content and short-form videos. On the other hand, older audiences like to watch long-form series on Smart TVs.

2. Build a Content Strategy

The content you create is your product. Ensure you create engaging and relevant content, customised as per your audience preferences.

• Organise a mix of original, licensed, and user-generated content.
• Most people view streaming content on mobile. So, focus on mobile-friendly formats.
• The majority of people prefer short-form content. Therefore, you can achieve higher engagement by creating short videos.
• Connecting with the audience becomes easy with localised content, subtitles and dubbing. In addition, themes aligned with local culture can help you win the audience’s hearts.

According to Deloitte, short-form content under 10 minutes is gaining popularity, especially in emerging markets.

3. How to Establish a Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

A UVP highlights what benefits you offer, or how you can solve a problem, and what makes you stand out from the rest of the competition. It must answer the common question: “Why should the audience choose your platform?”.

Your UVP answers the question: “Why should users choose your platform?” It could be:

• Exclusive content
• Regional language support
• Interactive features
• Ad-free experience

Make sure your UVP is clear across your website, app, and marketing materials.

Business Model & Monetisation

The fierce competition warrants a smart model that convinces your audience to go with you. Coming up with different subscription tiers can help you monetise the content effectively.

1. Choose Subscription Tiers

Offer flexible pricing to cater to different user segments:

• Basic: Limited access, single device
• Premium: Full access, HD/4K, multiple devices
• Family: Shared access for various users

Statista projects SVOD revenue to reach $164.41 billion by 2030, with over 1.8 billion users worldwide.

2. Set Competitive Pricing

Research the pricing offers by your competitors in your niche and locations. Set prices by using financial projections and balance them in a way that justifies competition and profit.

• Calculate what cost goes into the content, technological infrastructure, marketing and support.
• Attract users by offering packaged plans and seasonal discounts.

3. Develop a Sustainable Budget

A budget that can survive in unusual situations is the need of the hour. That’s why creating a detailed financial plan is vital. 

Your plan must include:

• Startup costs: Technological Infrastructure, Content Building, Branding Activities.
• Operational costs: Hosting, Support and Updates.
• Revenue forecasts: From subscription plans, advertisements or pay-per-view plans.
• Break-even analysis: The point at which you start profiting after launch.

Technology, Platform & User Experience

To run the app seamlessly, choose a robust technology that can support the app on various devices and browsers. In addition, the platform must be able to stream videos during poor internet speed. It helps you to provide the best streaming experience to your users.

1. Choose Your Technology Stack

Your technology infrastructure must be able to power the entire platform. Here are a few tools that you can rely on for their scalability and security.

• Video CMS: VIDIZMO, Contus, or MediaCMS
• CDN: Cloudflare, Akamai, or Amazon CloudFront
• Cloud Hosting: AWS Media Services, Azure, or IBM Cloud Video

These tools ensure smooth streaming, fast load times, and secure content delivery.

2. Platform Development & Features

Design your platform in a way that makes it easy for the audience to operate. It is a fundamental step for high engagement.

• Clean UI/UX: Ensure the navigation is simple and easy to use. Keep the layout intuitive and responsive on all devices.
• Core Features: Create user profiles, billing, recommendations, parental controls, downloads
• Multi-Device Support: Mobile, web, Smart TVs, OTT devices

Marketing, Launch & Growth

You have to publicise about your platform in three phases. Before launching, during the launch and post-launch.

1. Pre-Launch Marketing

Make some noise before the launch. Follow the given tips.

• An appealing brand identity is the key. Ensure to design an attractive logo, colour theme and tone.
• Create teasers, trailers and sneak peeks and share them through social media.
• Campaign target audience through email campaigns and try to get early subscribers.
• Create a landing page with a waitlist or beta sign-up feature.

2. Launch

Test all features before you launch your platform. The following steps will help you launch it without any flaws.

• Beta testing: Get your platform evaluated by a small group and receive feedback from them to improve it further.
• Phased rollout: Don't rush to launch it in every region. Launch it in a phased manner. It helps you manage traffic and fix bugs.
• Analytics: Track watch time, churn rate, and conversions. Use tools like Mixpanel, Amplitude, or Google Analytics.

3. Post-Launch Growth

• Update the content regularly.
• Analyse user feedback and add new features accordingly.
• Offer quick customer support via chat and email. Develop FAQs for the audience to provide them with solutions for common issues.

It’s essential to retain the existing audience. Keep them engaged with personalised recommendations, push notifications, and loyalty rewards.

Continuous Optimisation & Support

To stay ahead in the competition, you need to optimise the platform and provide optimal customer support continually.

1. Monitor Performance

To stay ahead in the competition, you need to optimise the platform and provide optimal customer support continually.

Monitor Performance

Real-time analysis is the key. Track the following regularly:

• Viewer engagement
• Drop-off points
• What devices does the audience user
• Revenue trends.

2. Gather Feedback & Improve UX

Get insights through surveys, in-app forms and support tickets. It helps you to fix bugs, improve navigation and personalisation and update the platform with requested features.

A good support system develops a bond of trust and loyalty within the audience. Offer 24/7 support, multilingual options, and multiple channels.

3. Ensure Security & Compliance

Protect user data and content:

• Use DRM and encryption.
• Comply with GDPR, COPPA, and other regulations.
• Monitor for piracy and unauthorised access.

Security is not optional. it’s essential for credibility and user trust.

Conclusion

Starting a subscription streaming service like Netflix is an ambitious plan. And the good news is it is absolutely achievable. You just need the perfect strategy, technology and a user-centric mindset to built a platform that not only competes, but thrives.

Focusing on high-quality content, scalability and security and offering an optimal user experience is first part. The second part involves clever marketing and continuous upgradation.

Ready to build your SVOD platform? Enveu offers end-to-end solutions to help you launch faster, smarter, and stronger.

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