Top 5 OTT App Features That Your Subscribers Want

Top 5 OTT App Features That Your Subscribers Want

Back in the days when OTT subscribers had only a handful of services and apps to choose from, they were willing to deal with limited device availability and impeding interface for outstanding content. But now since users have more than 300 streaming video solutions to select from, they are obtaining more experience and learning new features that are enticing to them. The vast sea of options implies that subscribers are now becoming more selective with their time and wallets more than ever.

Although on-demand video and media streaming consumption amid the COVID-19 pandemic was up more than 74%, the subscription churn rates have also elevated to 6%. This top-tier level of competition in the OTT proves that your application needs a huge edge in order to gain subscribers. Prioritizing the most sought-after features while building or designing an app is the best method to keep users engaged, happy, and willing to pay. 

If you are looking for your OTT streaming app to compete with big global players, use this checklist of must-have features & attributes to attract new users.


5 Best OTT App Features

According to recent research, OTT households consider 13 video streaming functionality when selecting for subscriptions. Predictably, the availability of desired content and the service’s price rank among the top three most desired attributes. Playback/streaming quality, picture resolution, and buffer/load times were also ranked as some of the crucial factors. Nevertheless, you may be surprised how many OTT app development features related to design and functionality matter too. In this article, we have curated top 5 app attributes that will deliver the optimum ROI.
 

1. Availability across devices

Nearly 60% of OTT service subscribers rank a brand’s availability of content across multiple devices as the most crucial factor while considering between several OTT services. 

A user should be able to use and access your OTT application on one device and then seamlessly start and pick up where they left off on the other. Each app should have a similar feel as if they are a part of the same family, even though they are operational and running on completely different platforms or devices. Despite this requirement, it is a challenge for digital media providers to build a consistent and seamless app optimized for various devices and platforms. There, it is highly recommended to hire a trusted and experienced team of OTT app developers and live video streaming experts.
 

2. Ease of usage
    

More than 81% of subscribers suggest that using an OTT application must be simple and easy to use or they are out. Viewers do not like to fumble around complex menus and get paranoid with clunky navigation.

This convenient expectation explains why your UI/UX design is the main driver that signals if subscribers would continue using your app. 

User Interface or UI refers to the physical interaction of viewers with your app. It includes everything from sounds, colors, menus, layouts, app buttons, video previews, and more. On the other hand, User Experience or UX denotes how the UI works on your customer’s devices in order to deliver the optimum and overall viewing experience. An engaging UX design goes beyond aesthetics to solve each viewer’s needs and enhance customer satisfaction.

Also Read: A Comprehensive Guide To OTT App Development

3. Search feature for desired content

In addition to the ease of usage, nearly 71% of the subscribers rank the aptness to search desired content quickly as extremely important. Research also shows that 50% of streamers would prefer canceling an OTT subscription if it has a complicated and challenging content delivery system. 

Integrating a function that allows users to search across metadata like actor, TV series, movie, director, etc, enables them to quickly glance through your complete catalog offerings in a flash. We recommend adding a keyboard to the search bar to upgrade and emphasize time-taking alphabetized menu scrolling.

Voice control search has also been booming in OTT platforms, applications, and devices. Stats prove that viewers under the age of 45 prefer using voice commands and AI assistants to help them in discovering what they want. You can also consider building micro-genres to further refine media collection, making it easier for viewers to find the right content.
 

4. Menu recommendations

While an intuitive search functionality is essential for viewers who already know what they intend to watch, having menu recommendations help those users who have no idea.

This attribute places highly relevant content right in front of your audience and streamlines the overall discovery process. It further pushes viewers to stream and watch new titles, so they never feel that your content library is exhausted. The collective behavior-based recommendations have been doing extremely well in the streaming market place which analyzes global viewing behavior data to accumulate both qualitative and quantitative metrics for where, what, when, how, and why viewers are watching your content.
 

5. Digital content availability for download
    

When the time comes to renew or begin a new subscription, 40% of users rank the ability to download as a vital factor in their decision-making process. They value the convenience of streaming the content wherever and whenever they want. On average, OTT consumers are glued to their mobile phones for more than six hours a day, streaming more than two hours of video content daily.

Downloading content on their high-speed internet network at home truncates buffering woes when they are outside the connectivity zone. It also reduces the hassle of exhausting the data plan limits on the go. 

OTT App Development with Oodles Technologies

At Oodles Technologies, our team of seasoned OTT app designers and developers create rich media experiences that encapsulate the most sought-after and latest features to engage users across all channels and platforms. We can assist in building your streaming application from scratch for enhanced ROI. For more information, connect with our experts.