It’s 1 AM, and you’re lying in bed scrolling through an endless sea of movie thumbnails. You tap on a new web series, and within seconds, you’re hooked, seamlessly binge-watching with no buffering or breaks. This is the magic of a video streaming app like Netflix.
Netflix became a big name in the video streaming industry due to seamless streaming, personalized recommendations, cross-platform accessibility, and a highly intuitive interface. It has the perfect blend of technology, design, and content that keeps users hooked and investors interested.
Netflix’s platform became so engaging that by the end of 2024, over 300 million people worldwide were paying for subscriptions. The success of Netflix has inspired businesses to build streaming apps like Netflix to enable business growth.
If you’re a founder or entrepreneur exploring how to start a streaming service, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of how to create a streaming app that can compete in today’s fast-growing market.
Understanding the OTT App Market: Understanding the Streaming Growth
The streaming companies like Netflix are redefining the media industry, and OTT platforms and video streaming apps have shifted audiences from traditional TV to on-demand streaming. This is one of the top app categories that will dominate 2025. Here are some key statistics highlighting the OTT and video streaming market’s growth:
- The global OTT subscriptions are projected to rise from 1.6 billion in 2023 to 2.1 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 5%.
- The OTT revenue growth is expected to increase from $69.3 billion in 2023 to $100.5 billion by 2028, with the US accounting for nearly half of the total revenue.
- The video streaming industry generated $199 billion in 2023, encompassing both free and paid platforms.
These numbers signal a massive opportunity for businesses. They can leverage video streaming services to build deeper user engagement, unlock new revenue streams, and future-proof their digital presence. Having the right video streaming app development company as a partner can help businesses lead the OTT market.
Top Features To Include In Your Entertainment App Like Netflix
Netflix achieved huge success in the industry due to its content algorithm and ease of use. So, before looking at the streaming application development, let’s take a look at the necessary features that you should include in your entertainment app.
- User Registration and Profile Management: Allows users to log in to the application and create different profiles to help them manage their content history.
- Search Content: Users should be able to search for their favorite shows and movies based on genres, language, and production country.
- Payment Gateway: To help users with subscription, include a secure payment gateway to help users make payments safely. Providing the opportunity to pay via various payment options reduces the bounce rate.
- Watchlist: This feature allows users to add programs they wish to watch later, reducing the effort required to search for the same.
- Screen Casting: It allows users to view the video on other screens, such as a TV or a laptop, with the help of a Wi-FI connection.
- Multi-Language Support: This feature helps users access content and navigate the app in their preferred language, allowing the app to transcend borders.
- Personalized Recommendations: Utilize user watch history, ratings, and viewing patterns to suggest shows or movies that align with their preferences, improving engagement and keeping users hooked.
- Multi-Device Syncing: This feature ensures that watch history, preferences, and profiles stay synced over different devices, offering a seamless experience.
- Download or Offline Viewing: Allow users to download content and watch it later without an internet connection. This establishes a special connection with users.
- Parental Controls: This feature becomes necessary in today’s world. It allows parents to set viewing restrictions for younger viewers, helping them to filter content, set screen time limits, and monitor what kids are watching.
Steps To Develop an Entertainment App Like Netflix
Now that you know about the essential features, it’s time to look at the necessary video streaming app development steps. These steps should be followed in order to make a successful entertainment app.
1. Define Your Niche and Audience
Before writing a line of code, you need to clarify your market positioning. Ask yourself, are you targeting:
- Movies and TV shows
- Sports streaming
- Music videos or concerts
- Educational or niche content
Understanding your audience and niche helps you shape your features, licensing strategy, and marketing plan. Defining user personas is the crucial first step, as it shapes the design and experience of your video streaming app. During the initial stage, you can also build an MVP of your app to validate your idea and collect user feedback.
2. Choose the Right Business Model
A successful streaming services maker knows that monetization is necessary. Selecting the appropriate model during the live streaming app development process allows you to establish a strong connection with the audience. Common models are:
- Subscription-based (SVOD): Users pay monthly/annually to watch unlimited content on the platform.
- Ad-supported (SVOD): Content is free but monetized with ads.
- Transactional: Users pay for the movie/show they want to watch.
- Hybrid: Combination of subscription and ads.
Top video streaming platforms use these monetization models, and they have helped them increase their audience base, revenue, and market size. Pick a model that fits your audience’s willingness to pay, as choosing the wrong model can leave a huge blow on your app’s reputation.
3. Select the Tech Stack
Choosing the right technology is essential to make your app scalable and future-proof. Below are some popular tech stacks that are used by Frontend: React Native, Flutter, or Swift/Java for native apps.
- Backend: Node.js, Python (Django), or Ruby on Rails.
- Database: PostgreSQL, MongoDB.
- Cloud & Hosting: AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud for a scalable video streaming platform.
- Video Processing: FFmpeg for encoding/decoding.
- Content Delivery Network (CDN): Akamai, Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront for global reach.
- Payment Gateways: Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay.
For live video streaming app development, WebRTC or RTMP protocols are also quite commonly used. These protocols have helped businesses deliver top-quality mobile apps. When selecting the tech stack, keep in mind that you are also building your app for foldable devices. Along with the right technology, you must be aware of the top mobile app development trends to stand out from your competitors.
4. Video Streaming Programming & Infrastructure
Building a robust and attention-grabbing video streaming app requires a strong backend to handle high-quality video processing. The key components are:
- Encoding & Decoding: Optimizing videos for different devices and network conditions.
- DRM & Security: Digital Rights Management to prevent piracy and deliver the right content to the users.
- APIs: For integrating player controls, analytics, and third-party services.
- Load Balancers: To manage traffic spikes during popular releases or live events.
This is where you need a team filled with experienced developers skilled in video streaming programming. They can make your app unstoppable and strong, making it a worthy choice in the competitive market.
5. Design an intuitive UI/UX
Even the best content won’t succeed without a user-friendly design. You need to make your UI/UX intuitive to grab the audience’s attention. A good video streaming app builder ensures:
- Minimalist, clean interface.
- Easy navigation between categories.
- Personalized watchlists.
- Smooth cross-device experience (mobile, tablet, smart TV, desktop).
6. Content Acquisition and Licensing
No streaming application development project succeeds without compelling content. The content on your entertainment app should be like Netflix. It should be entertaining, thrilling, and fresh to keep the audience hooked with your app. The three main options for content acquisition and licensing include:
- Create original content, expensive but it builds brand value.
- License content from studios and distributors.
- User-generated content
For a Netflix-like app, you need to include a mix of licensed and original content to get a competitive edge in the market.
7. Testing and Quality Assurance
Testing is crucial to ensure your app can handle real-world conditions. To complete rigorous testing, you need to perform:
- Performance Testing: Ensure smooth playback under high traffic.
- Security Testing: Protect payment gateways and user data.
- Compatibility Testing: Across different devices and operating systems.
Cost of Streaming Application Development
The cost of building a video streaming app ranges between $50,000 and $300,000 or more, depending on the crucial factors such as:
- Features
- App Type
- Platform Selection
- Development Team’s Location and Expertise
On average, a basic video streaming application development project that takes 3-6 months can cost between $50,000 – $150,000, but an advanced app with AI features can exceed even $300,000.
Closing Remarks
The global appetite for entertainment-on-demand is certainly not going to slow down anytime soon. Entrepreneurs who learn how to create a streaming app or how to build a live streaming app stand a massive chance of grabbing their share of the fast-growing digital entertainment sphere.
With the right niche, tech stack, UI/UX that clicks, and infrastructure that scales, you can build an app for live video streaming or an on-demand platform that stands tall against gigantic names in streaming like Netflix. If you want to build the next big name in the entertainment industry, now is the perfect time to create your very own scalable video streaming platform via video streaming app development. Understood how to create an entertainment app like Netflix? Explore more insightful blogs at AppDevGuides.
