In this day and age, video streaming is a staple in many households. They offer an affordable and convenient way to watch TV shows, movies, and other content without having to leave the comfort of your home. But like with anything else, there is always room for improvement. Here are 6 tips on how to improve your video streaming service for a better viewing experience.
1. Improving Storage and Quality
The first way to improve your video streaming service is by increasing the storage space and quality of your videos. This will ensure that you can watch HD content without any buffering or lag issues. You can do this by upgrading your internet package to a higher speed, or by investing in a better quality streaming device. This is where video encoding and compression come in handy because they can help to reduce the file size of your content without compromising quality. Additionally, you should make sure that your videos are hosted on a reliable server to avoid any interruptions in service.
2. Creating Better Video Playlists
Another way to improve your video streaming experience is by creating better video playlists. This means including a variety of content that is both entertaining and informative. You can do this by including a mix of movies, TV shows, educational videos, and other content that appeals to your target audience. Additionally, you should make sure that your playlists are well-organized and easy to navigate.
This will help viewers find the content they’re looking for quickly and without any hassle. Also, consider adding features such as trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, and bonus content to keep viewers engaged. Top streaming services like Netflix, Dish TV, Amazon Prime Video,and Disney+ have these features already.
3. Adding Interactive Features
Adding interactive features to your video streaming service can also help to improve the overall experience. This could include anything from chatbots and quizzes to polls and surveys. These features can not only make your service more fun and engaging but also help you to gather valuable feedback from your viewers. With a quiz builder, you can easily create interactive quizzes to engage your customers and enhance user experience.
To effectively implement these features, planning and discussing your desired functionalities with a custom Over the Top (OTT) platform provider is crucial. For instance, Inorain.com specializes in the field of custom OTT solutions, working with clients to integrate any desired features into their interfaces. This collaborative approach will help creators develop an interface that they believe is best for their audience, enhancing the overall user experience.
This information can then be used to improve your video streaming services content and ensure that you are meeting the needs of your audience. Some other features like closed captioning and subtitles can also be beneficial, especially for those who are hard of hearing or have difficulty understanding spoken English.
4. Enhancing Video Recommendations
Another way to improve your video streaming service is by enhancing the recommendations that you offer to viewers. This could involve using algorithms to better match viewers with the content they are likely to enjoy. Alternatively, you could allow viewers to custom-tailor their recommendations by genre, actor, or other criteria. This would give them more control over the content they see and help to ensure that they are only presented with options that are of interest to them. Additionally, you could offer viewers the ability to save certain content for later viewing. This would allow them to build up a personal library of content that they can watch at their leisure. Also, consider including a “continue watching” feature that would remind viewers of the last content they watched and give them the option to pick up where they left off.
5. Improving Search Functionality
The search functionality of your video streaming service is also important and should be given attention. This feature should be easy to use and allow viewers to find the content they’re looking for quickly and easily. To do this, you can use keyword tags, descriptions, and other metadata to help improve the accuracy of your search results. Additionally, you should consider offering a search bar on your homepage so that viewers can immediately start looking for the content they want. This also implies that your navigation should be well-organized so that viewers can easily find their way around your site.
6. Optimizing for Different Devices
Finally, you should also make sure that your OTT platform service is optimized for different devices. This includes everything from smart TVs and streaming boxes to smartphones and tablets. This is important because it ensures that your service can be accessed by as many people as possible. Additionally, it helps to ensure that your content is displayed correctly on each device and that users have a consistent experience regardless of how they are accessing your service. Also, be sure to test your service on a variety of devices before making it available to the public to ensure that there are no technical issues.
7. Use a Bonded Internet Connection to Stream Your Video
Professional video live-streaming services don’t rely on a single internet connection to broadcast their productions. Instead, they use sophisticated so-called ‘bonded’ connections. A bonded internet connection consists of at least two (but often a lot more) internet connections at the same time. A clever algorithm running either on a computer or on dedicated hardware distributes the incoming data packages among the available connections. Should one connection become weaker, the amount of data being pushed through that specific connection is automatically lowered. A server at the other end of these connections receives all packets, reorders them if necessary and sends them off to your video streaming platform of choice. Such a system would work with wired LAN, 4G/5G modems, WIFI, a mobile hotspot or any combination of these.
By following these tips, you can improve your video streaming service and provide a better experience for your viewers. In turn, this can help to increase viewership and boost your business. So, if you’re looking to take your service to the next level, be sure to keep these tips in mind.