Can the app support both subscription and ads?

Yes. A hybrid model with a free ad-supported tier and a premium subscription is a common architecture. Ad insertion and subscriber management are built as separate layers so you can adjust the balance between them as your revenue mix evolves without rebuilding the platform.

Can viewers download content for offline viewing?

Yes. Offline download with DRM-protected local storage is available on iOS and Android. The content available for download, the download quality options, and the expiry period on downloaded files are all operator-configurable rather than fixed.

How do you handle live streaming alongside on-demand?

Live and on-demand require different infrastructure and we scope them separately since the latency, encoding, and CDN configuration differ considerably. A platform supporting both is more complex than one supporting either alone, and we confirm the requirement before pricing anything.

How long does it take to build an OTT streaming app?

A niche streaming app for one device category typically takes twelve to eighteen weeks. A multi-device platform with DRM, adaptive streaming, and subscription management takes eighteen to twenty-six weeks. Enterprise platforms with live streaming take longer and we scope those individually.

Video & OTT Streaming App Development

The streaming market is not saturated at the top — it is saturated with generic platforms. A niche OTT service built around a specific genre, audience, language, or interest can build the subscriber retention and word-of-mouth that a general entertainment platform cannot, because it gives a specific audience the thing they cannot find anywhere else rather than competing with Netflix for people who already have Netflix.

The technical gap between a streaming app that looks like a real platform and one that actually performs like one is almost entirely in the delivery layer. A player that buffers on a normal connection, a catalogue that does not load offline, and a subscription flow that loses the viewer at the paywall all happen before the content quality becomes relevant. Building the infrastructure correctly from the start is what makes the difference between a product and a demo.

01

Video Player and App Interface

Native iOS, Android, and web apps with a full-featured video player: playback controls, quality selection, subtitle and audio tracks, and continue watching.

02

Streaming Infrastructure and CDN

Adaptive bitrate encoding, CDN configuration for concurrent viewers at scale, offline download, and the origin and edge architecture that determines whether the video starts in two seconds or twelve.

03

DRM and Content Protection

Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady integration so your licensed content is protected under the terms your distribution agreements require before the first subscriber watches.

A subscription video platform with a paid access model, a content library behind a paywall, and recurring billing through App Store, Google Play, or direct web subscription management.

A free-to-viewer platform monetised through advertising, requiring ad insertion, viewer analytics for targeting, and an ad management interface for direct or programmatic sales.

A specialised platform combining a free tier and a premium subscription, or serving a defined audience with content and community features that a general streaming service does not provide.

A viewer who watches Netflix or Disney+ every night has a technical baseline that applies to every streaming product they try. Video starts within two seconds of pressing play. The quality adjusts silently when the connection drops rather than buffering and stopping. The episode they were halfway through on their phone is exactly where they left off when they open the app on the TV. Missing any of those three is not a minor inconvenience — it is a cancellation.

Content rights management is what most OTT founders underestimate until a distribution deal falls through because the platform cannot demonstrate DRM compliance. Widevine is required for Android and Chrome. FairPlay is required for Apple devices. PlayReady covers Microsoft environments. A streaming platform without all three cannot sign the licensing agreements that bring premium content worth subscribing for. We build DRM in before content negotiations, not after.

05 features

Content library with personalised recommendations
Video player with adaptive quality and subtitles
Continue watching and watchlist management
Offline download for selected content
Multi-profile and parental controls

A focused content library with subscription billing, a basic video player, and a catalogue for one device category. These typically fall in the mid five-figure range and take twelve to eighteen weeks.

iOS, Android, and web apps with adaptive streaming, DRM, subscription management, and a CMS for content publishers. These sit in the high five-figure range with an eighteen to twenty-six week build.

White-label or multi-tenant streaming platforms with advanced analytics, AVOD ad insertion, live streaming, and multi-region CDN. These run into the six-figure range with longer timelines.

These are market ranges, not fixed quotes. We give you an itemized number after a short discovery call.

01Discovery

We map your content library, your rights agreements, your monetisation model, and your CDN requirements before any design decisions are made.

02Design

We prototype the viewer experience and the content management interface before development starts, focusing on the subscription conversion moment specifically.

03Development

We build in sprints with regular check-ins, with streaming infrastructure and DRM built alongside the app rather than added after the interface is complete.

04Testing

Every build goes through streaming performance testing under concurrent viewer load and DRM validation before release so delivery and rights issues are found first.

We build streaming apps in React Native for mobile and React for web. Video delivery uses HLS and DASH with adaptive bitrate through AWS MediaConvert and CloudFront as the CDN. DRM covers Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady. Content storage runs on AWS S3. Subscription billing processes through Stripe for web and through App Store and Google Play native billing for mobile. Analytics run through a custom event pipeline or a third-party video analytics provider.

React Native
React
TypeScript
JavaScript
PostgreSQL
AWS MediaConvert
CloudFront
Widevine
FairPlay
PlayReady
AWS S3
Stripe

01

Streaming Infrastructure Before Interface

02

DRM Integrated Before Content Negotiations

03

Adaptive Bitrate That Works On Real Connections

04

Support Through Every Platform and Rights Change

A streaming platform is judged in the first two seconds of playback, not the first two minutes of content. We build the delivery infrastructure first because that is what the viewer experience is actually evaluated on.

A streaming platform is judged in the first two seconds of playback, not the first two minutes of content. We build the delivery infrastructure first because that is what the viewer experience is actually evaluated on.

A streaming platform is judged in the first two seconds of playback, not the first two minutes of content. We build the delivery infrastructure first because that is what the viewer experience is actually evaluated on.

A streaming platform is judged in the first two seconds of playback, not the first two minutes of content. We build the delivery infrastructure first because that is what the viewer experience is actually evaluated on.

01

Streaming Infrastructure Before Interface

02

DRM Integrated Before Content Negotiations

03

Adaptive Bitrate That Works On Real Connections

04

Support Through Every Platform and Rights Change

If you plan to license content from studios or distributors, yes — Widevine for Android and Chrome, FairPlay for Apple devices, and PlayReady for Microsoft environments. Without all three, most content licensing agreements cannot be signed. We build DRM in from the start rather than adding it when a distribution deal requires it.

Video & OTT Streaming
App Development

Why The OTT Streaming Market Needs The Right App