Top OTT Platform Reviews
Over-the-top (OTT) platforms allow users to create their own OTT media streaming services. OTT streaming services have become popular content channels since content creators can distribute their work without using traditional cable or broadcast platforms. Additionally, most services don’t require viewers to purchase or install any proprietary hardware for access. These platforms act as the driving force behind popular internet streaming services and can include features like subscription management, built-in advertising, and content management. While most OTT platforms are intended to build video-based streaming services, some products also allow users to create audio-based streaming services.
OTT platforms provide their own or integrate with established content delivery network (CDN) or enterprise content delivery network (eCDN) to ensure high performance video streaming for viewers. Many OTT platforms also include functionalities of live stream software, video CMS software, and video hosting software within their offering since they have similar infrastructures.
To qualify for inclusion in the OTT Platforms category, a product must:
Best OTT Platforms At A Glance
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- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Uscreen is an all-in-one membership platform built for video creators to launch paid memberships that include an on-demand video library, live streaming capabilities, and their own community space, al
- Director
- Founder
- Health, Wellness and Fitness
- E-Learning
- 94% Small-Business
- 2% Mid-Market
3,397 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Azure Media Services supports on-demand and live streaming, as well as dynamic packaging, which is the real-time transmuxing to and from HLS and Smooth Streaming formats, with DASH on the way .
- 30% Enterprise
- 30% Mid-Market
14,031,499 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Built on top of AWS, Muvi One is a revolutionary all-in-one streaming platform that empowers businesses to launch their own Multi-Screen Streaming Service effortlessly. Packaged with the best of IT In
- Entertainment
- Information Technology and Services
- 70% Small-Business
- 19% Mid-Market
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Vimeo OTT allows brands and creators to launch their own white-label video subscription channels, where subscribers can access video content for free, as a rental, or for purchase. With Vimeo OTT, you
- 50% Small-Business
- 44% Mid-Market
213,887 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
End-to-end solution to manage, monetize and distribute on-demand and live video content. It allows to control several other building blocks of the ecosystem and provides all the advanced integrations
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Media
- 64% Small-Business
- 34% Mid-Market
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Seplex is an OTT solutions provider, serving global operators with simple, powerful and scalable OTT solutions—from content preparation, management and monetization to video delivery, multi-screen app
- 50% Enterprise
- 30% Mid-Market
504 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Best-in-class sports streaming and OTT solutions provider that help sports league, clubs, federations and right holders build scalable direct-to-consumer streaming services. ViewLift offers end-to-end
- Entertainment
- 64% Mid-Market
- 36% Small-Business
313 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
PlayBox Technology’s OTT content management system (CMS) represents the most cost-effective way to develop an OTT video platform with a mixture of both live channels and on-demand media. Offered a
- 47% Small-Business
- 41% Mid-Market
270 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Enveu provides end-to-end OTT technology solutions to build, launch, manage and grow a video streaming business across 12+ platforms. Our platform - the Experience Cloud helps Media Publishers & C
- 50% Small-Business
- 40% Mid-Market
59 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
A Live streaming server appliance or cloud platform for storing video, transcoding, web conferencing and distributing media to multiple social destinations. It also comes with API's to integrate with
- 48% Small-Business
- 43% Mid-Market
36 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Automate QA at Scale - Soprano Allows you to Identify the best calls to QA with no effort Filter call by agent, call scoring by identity in points of interest opens closes and escalations Intuitively
- 68% Small-Business
- 18% Mid-Market
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Goose is the most affordable OTT SaaS platform in the global market, and we help you to monetize your VOD + Live channnels with SVOD, TVOD, AVOD by providing a self-serving white label platform, using
- 42% Mid-Market
- 42% Small-Business
87 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Xstream A/S provides #OTT #Video and #TV Cloud Enabling Profitable OTT Businesses through Fast Deployment and Superior Monetization Capabilities
- 86% Small-Business
- 7% Enterprise
881 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
The MAZ platform helps businesses easily build, customize and launch apps everywhere. No coding or design skills required. With MAZ you can bring your site, video library, or print publication to apps
- 44% Small-Business
- 33% Mid-Market
6,264 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
VPlayed is a leading OTT streaming solution provider that empowers online broadcasters, media professionals, and content providers to launch their independent video streaming platform over multiple de
- 70% Mid-Market
- 20% Small-Business
144 Twitter followers
Learn More About OTT Platforms
What are OTT Platforms?
Over-the-top (OTT) platforms allow users to create their own OTT media streaming services. Using OTT platforms, video content can be transported from a video provider to a connected device through the internet outside the traditional cable or broadcast TV methods. OTT services don’t require viewers to purchase or install any proprietary hardware for access, as they can stream content in real time on any smart device, such as smartphones, smart TVs, gaming consoles, computers, laptops, and tablets. These platforms are the driving force behind popular internet streaming providers, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus. They include subscription management, built-in advertising, live stream, and video content management features. While most OTT platforms are intended to build video-based streaming services, some products also allow users to deliver audio-based streaming services. OTT platforms provide their own or integrate with an established content delivery network (CDN) or enterprise content delivery network (eCDN) to ensure high performance and quality video streaming for viewers.
What Does OTT Stand For?
OTT stands for over-the-top, a media delivery method that bypasses traditional cable or satellite TV methods and delivers media directly to viewers through the internet. It’s a different viewing experience that requires an internet connection and a smart device.
What are the Common Features of OTT Platforms?
As OTT platforms provide everything a user needs to launch their own OTT platform service, they typically include the following features:
Subscription management: This software comes with the functionality to manage customer subscriptions when they sign up for the OTT service, which includes the ability to store and organize customer information, establish and execute automated payments tied to continuous plans, and manage customer churn.
Advertisements: Users can partner with brands to show banner ads, commercials, previews, and more on their OTT platform. They can manage both the ad partnerships and monetization with the platform.
Video content management system (CMS): This feature allows users to upload, organize, and distribute video content. Once videos have been uploaded, extra materials such as PDFs can also be added. Then the content is prepared for multi-device delivery. Users can set release dates and expiration dates for videos or collections, and they will be published and unpublished automatically on the chosen dates. OTT platforms can offer viewer restriction options, so users can determine who does and does not have access to certain videos. They may also enable tags and provide a search function to help visitors find specific videos.
Video hosting: Often a part of the CMS, this feature refers to the ability to upload and store video files that others can then view. Some systems allow for audio hosting for users who want to showcase music, podcasts, and other audio-based media.
Live stream: Some OTT platforms offer a live TV option so that users can stream live videos for their viewers. This is mostly used for live performances or sporting events. These live streams can be recorded and made available directly after the event.
Branded applications: Once the OTT platform has been set up with the correct material, OTT apps can be released so that viewers can sign up for a subscription and access the material on a branded app. Most OTT software will provide apps compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
What are the Benefits of OTT Platforms?
Users can think of an OTT platform as an “OTT platform-in-a-box” offering. This saves the user time, resources, and money because they don’t need to create one from scratch. However, the best OTT platforms have additional benefits as well:
Manage and deliver content in one place: Users need a lot of functionality to deliver content to their viewers seamlessly. With this type of software, users have everything they need to manage and deliver content all in one place, from storing customer information and videos to managing subscriptions and advertising partnerships to providing customer and video content analytics.
Provide a customized experience: Using traditional streaming platforms, such as YouTube, allow users to reach wider audiences. However, if they have niche material, that’s not necessarily a good thing. With a branded video streaming service, users can attract viewers interested in their niche content and provide the end user with a more customized experience.
Get more control: OTT platforms give users more control over their content, brand, user experience, audience, and data.
Who Uses OTT Platforms?
Rather than talking about which teams in a business use OTT platforms, it makes more sense to talk about the kinds of personas and businesses that use this software. The OTT market is dominated by larger players, such as HBO, Hulu, and Prime Video, who provide entertainment streaming services. However, many smaller players have begun using OTT video platforms as well to reach and engage their audiences.
Independent creators: Media creators who primarily create video content and want a personalized platform where they can share this content would benefit from using OTT platforms. As opposed to posting their content on social media, other streaming, or video-on-demand (VOD) platforms, an OTT platform will allow them to cater to a niche audience and more easily monetize their content. This includes musicians, performers, fitness instructors, and other types of vloggers.
Event organizers: With many previously in-person events becoming virtual, OTT platforms can be an efficient way to deliver live or recorded video content from event sessions to attendees. Attendees can register for the event and use the OTT app to navigate the event by reading session summaries and choosing which ones to watch.
Fashion and retail companies: Fashion and retail companies can utilize OTT platforms to release videos about their products, upcoming releases or events, and discuss trends in the industry.
Internal communications teams: OTT platforms can also act as a or be an extension of a knowledge base or intranet for internal communications. Organizations can engage their employees and keep them informed using video content.
Challenges with OTT Platforms
OTT platforms can come with their own set of challenges.
Smart TV processing issues: Most users use a connected or smart TV to watch OTT content. However, many smart TVs don’t meet today's OTT apps' processing and memory requirements. To overcome this, viewers will need to purchase a new TV or a third-party OTT device, which can be costly and inconvenient for both the user and viewer.
Content compatibility: With the development of multi-device viewing, content creators and distributors are required to deliver multiple versions of the same content in order to be compatible with a wide variety of devices. They also need to update the OTT provider with newly available content formats regularly. It can be extremely frustrating if the content isn’t available on viewers' devices.
Scalability: To ensure users have a robust OTT infrastructure, they need to consider scalability. When large amounts of viewers are watching the same content, such as a live event, many streams need to be sent through the network. Operators will need to free up cache resources across their network to ensure they have the capacity to send the live streams. When these resources aren’t sufficient to match the number of viewers, latency issues will arise. Users need to check that their OTT software has a network capacity planning feature built into the CDN to monitor network traffic.
How to Buy OTT Platforms
Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for OTT Platforms
There are several OTT platforms on the market that users can choose to host their OTT content. It’s important to figure out which features to prioritize to find one that will help users reach their OTT streaming objectives. There are several features users can look into when comparing options. These include content delivery, video API, monetization, live streaming, security tools, and a CDN.
Compare OTT Platform Products
Create a long list
After users list the features they require from an OTT platform, they’ll need to prioritize them as different OTT platforms will have different strengths and weaknesses. Users need to think about their purpose in purchasing an OTT solution to help them prioritize. For example, if a user wanted to stream live content to make revenue, live stream and monetization features would be must haves.
By visiting G2’s category for OTT platforms, buyers may sift through the CMP solutions and add products to their “My List” within G2.
Create a short list
Once buyers have created a short list within “My List” on G2, they can further sort their options by checking the product’s ratings on the G2 GridⓇ and reading user reviews to understand their peer’s software experience.
Conduct demos
After narrowing down the selection, buyers must contact the vendors to schedule demonstrations of the solution. Businesses can contact many vendors directly on G2 to request demos by selecting the “Get a quote” button. At each demo, buyers must be sure to ask the same questions and use case scenarios to evaluate each product best.
Selection of OTT Platforms
Choose a selection team
The selection team should include people responsible for setting up and maintaining the OTT platform. This depends on what the solution is being used for. If someone is launching a complete streaming platform, numerous people should be involved in the selection process to evaluate everything from content delivery capabilities to monetization to branding. However, if an individual content creator started using an OTT platform to deliver their content directly to their audiences, there would be less to consider.
Final decision
Once the person responsible for setting up and maintaining the OTT platform approves the specific product, businesses should feel confident moving forward with a tool. After implementing and using the software, it helps to leave a review on G2, sharing their experience to assist other future OTT platform buyers in their decision-making process.
How Much Do OTT Platforms Cost?
When deciding to start delivering content through an OTT platform, some users may choose to hire developers to create their own OTT platform. While this allows them to completely customize their platform with the features, functionality, and integrations required, it will be costly. This is why many opt to purchase OTT platforms instead. When buyers buy OTT platforms, they purchase a white-label OTT platform that they can personalize with their branding and content. This is usually done through a monthly subscription model, ranging from $10/month or over $1000/month.
