Cost & Features to Create Live Streaming App

Introduction

Live Streaming Apps are becoming massively popular nowadays. One of the best examples is NETFLIX which has gained love from all across the world. It is one of the highest revenue-generating apps globally. If you are also wondering, how to develop an app like Netflix and want to know the features and cost structure to develop a video streaming app like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney Hotstar, then this article can be very helpful for you. So stay tuned and read the complete article to get the maximum knowledge.

Some interesting Live Streaming Stat01istics

• In 2018, there were 425 million live stream users alone in China.

• More than 80% of users in the US prefer to watch a video over blog articles

• By the end of 2021, the live streaming industry is expected to be worth $70 billion.

• The rate of live stream viewing is 10-20 times higher as compared to on-demand videos.

• Every year the live video streaming market is growing insane.

Types of live-streaming apps

Commonly, there are three types of live-streaming apps which are discussed below:

Live Broadcasting Apps

These apps are one of those highly popular apps in terms of live streaming. The app gives access to the users to broadcast live recordings of videos along with the access of sound to those who have access to the stream. These apps are responsible for giving birth to thousands of online social media influencers and celebrities. Some of the popular examples of live-streaming apps are YouTube Live, Twitch, Livestream, and Periscope.

Audio Streaming

Forget about the video, and there comes your audio streaming app. With the help of an audio streaming application, you get to listen to audio that is transmitted over the internet in real-time. Some examples of Live Audio Streaming apps are namely Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music.

Video On-Demand Streaming

The video-on-demand streaming app allows users to schedule and watch their favorite content like TV Shows and Movies online as and when they wish. Common examples of Video ON-Demand streaming applications are Amazon Prime Video, NETFLIX, YouTube TV, and Hulu.

Must-Have Features of Live Streaming MVP

For building an MVP for a live streaming application, you’ll be needing these basic features:

User Sign up/Sign in

It is just a simple and easy registration form for the app users for creating their accounts and logging in to the app with the credentials.

• Live Streaming

This feature gives access to record and broadcast a live stream to members who have taken a subscription to a channel or the public.

• Search

Users can search for a particular content with the help of a search box in terms of topic, popularity, trending, location, channel, or interests.

• User Profile

Displays the personal information of the user and profile picture to his friends and subscribers.

• User Gallery

This feature helps in storing and organizing recorded videos on the profile of the user.

• Commenting/Rating system

Social engagement is the core of any live streaming platform. Hence, it’s important to integrate a commenting/rating system that allows users to leave feedback on the live video.

Additional Features in a Live Streaming Application

You can consider integrating these features once you have an MVP that’s accepted by the users to improve the user experience.

• Social sign-up – Gives access to users to sign up using their social media accounts in a single click. This helps in eliminating the tedious task of form filling.

• Chats – A chat function is very helpful in establishing communication with the audience in real-time.

• Extended user profile – It helps in going beyond the basic name and profile picture by adding in advanced fields such as interests, locations, preferences, and personalization.

• Extended Streaming Features – You can integrate features like filters and screen sharing which unleashes multiple creative ways of using the application.

• Extended Search Features – The search can be conducted in a more detailed manner. For instance, users can search for videos based on various parameters like location, etc.

• Feed – Users are more in control in such an interactive feed and managing for users is also very convenient.

• Recommendations – Based on the preferences and browsing history the users get to see the related content in their feed.

• Subscriptions – integrate subscriptions of various types and allow the users to manage them easily from the applications.

• Notifications – This feature enables the app to send push notifications to the users if some interesting or engaging content is being streamed.

How much does it cost to create a live streaming app?

Here are the major factors that determine the cost of building a live streaming app like NETFLIX:

• Size and Scale of the App

• Number of Features and Functionalities

• Country-wise designing and development rates

• Testing Methods

• Third-party services Software maintenance

Therefore, we can see that there is no fixed rate to build a video streaming app, rather the cost is directly depending upon the factors mentioned above. The cost is directly proportionate to the scope of work, the number of hours involved, and the complexity of the design.

The following table will show you the cost estimate to build such an app concerning one platform and with an average rate of $50 per hour. Further, additional features like designing, QA, project management, etc. may be added on request.

Summary

Now you’ll have a better idea regarding the cost structure and the features to be added in a live streaming app. In such a technological driver industry, striking a balance between business goals and user experience is very important. Most importantly, you will be needing an experienced and skilled app developer to guide you in the best possible manner. If you still want more clarification to your question – How to develop an app like Netflix? Connect to our team to learn more about building a live streaming MVP.