11 key features to look for in an OTT platform

The global demand for streaming services has skyrocketed, with audiences shifting from traditional cable TV to on-demand digital content. Viewers now expect high-quality, easily accessible content anytime, anywhere.

This surge in demand has led to fierce competition, making it essential for businesses to establish a strong presence in the OTT (Over-the-Top) space.

To stay ahead in the competitive streaming industry, launching an OTT platform across multiple devices is no longer optional—it’s a necessity. Users consume content across web browsers, mobile devices, and Connected TV (CTV) platforms like Android TV, Roku, Apple TV, Firestick, Samsung TV, and LG TV.

A successful OTT strategy must ensure seamless streaming and an intuitive user experience across all these platforms to maximize reach and engagement.

Building an OTT platform from scratch requires extensive technical expertise, infrastructure, and ongoing maintenance. This is where a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solution offers a significant advantage.

A SaaS-based OTT platform provides —

Now, before diving into features, let’s first break down what you want to achieve by starting your own streaming service.

What features do you need?

OTT platform features can be grouped into four major categories, aligned with different business stages—from launching your service to scaling and innovating.

Let’s explore each in detail now

1. Content management system

The most important feature you need to look into is an efficient CMS that can help you in all aspects of video content management - importing, managing and curating content.

Upload & manage videos

Easy ingesting (import from YT in a click) and uploading option (like FTP, MRSS feed) that saves a lot of time and makes it less daunting for the content team to handle. Modify, add or delete metatags for videos across all platforms from a single place.

Distribution

Option to connect your social media accounts (like FB, Twitter, YouTube) with the platform and automatically distribute videos to your owned & operated properties + social accounts via a simple dashboard. This will simplify your content ops and save a lot of time.

Geographic setting

The platform should provide you the flexibility to set your own content rules (that will allow or deny playback of your videos by geography).

Adaptive streaming

Optimized for adaptive bit rates to deliver video to the user in the most efficient way possible and in the highest usable quality for each specific user (240p, 360p, 720p, 1080p, 4K).

Curating videos

Should be easy to organize content into a reusable playlist for publishing.

Watermarking  

Ability to add logos or watermark to your videos for content security and protect content from piracy.

Metadata

Provision to manage entire movie/series details like about cast and crew , genre, rating, and more.

Offline access

Providing the users the ability to download video and watch it in an offline mode is super convenient, particularly when they are on the go. Additionally, users can save on bandwidth playing offline.

Questions to ask your OTT platform provider about Video CMS

2. Create & Publish the app

Building an OTT app from scratch is a complex, time-consuming, and resource-intensive process. If the platform only provides an API and leaves development up to you, it means investing heavily in technical expertise, infrastructure, and maintenance. Custom development for multiple OTT platforms—such as mobile, web, and connected TV—requires significant effort and can delay your go-to-market strategy.

So, what to look for in an OTT platform solution?

Pre-Built Templates for Faster Deployment

An ideal OTT platform should offer ready-to-use templates that allow you to customize the app’s branding, theme, and user experience effortlessly. This eliminates the need for extensive design and coding, enabling quick deployment across platforms.

No-Code/Low-Code Development for Ease of Use

A robust OTT solution should allow you to create and launch apps with minimal to no coding required. This drastically lowers development costs and makes the process accessible even for teams without technical expertise.

Multi-Platform Compatibility

Your OTT solution should support seamless deployment across:

• Web & Mobile: iOS, Android
• Connected TV (CTV): Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Samsung TV, LG TV With multi-platform support, your content reaches a wider audience without the hassle of managing separate development processes for each platform.

White-Labeled Apps for Brand Consistency

Your app should be fully branded under your name, ensuring a seamless and professional experience for your users. There should be no third-party branding, allowing your brand identity to remain at the forefront.

Faster Time-to-Market to Stay Competitive

In today’s fast-moving streaming industry, speed is key. Pre-built solutions enable rapid deployment, so you don’t waste months on development and testing. The faster you launch, the sooner you start generating revenue and growing your user base.

Questions to ask your OTT platform provider about Apps

3. Video Monetization

Selecting an OTT platform with robust monetization capabilities is critical to growing your business and expanding your subscriber base. Your platform should support all major revenue models, including Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD), Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD), and Advertising-Based Video on Demand (AVOD), giving you the flexibility to monetize content in multiple ways.

Monetization Options

Monetization is the backbone of any OTT platform. A strong monetization system gives you the flexibility to experiment with multiple revenue models and optimize earnings. Your platform should support all major models—SVOD, TVOD, AVOD, and more—so you can choose what works best for your audience and content strategy.

Beyond standard monetization, offering bundles and tiered subscriptions can help attract different types of users.

To drive sign-ups and retain users, your platform should allow flexible pricing strategies.

Questions to ask your OTT platform provider about Monetization

Interested in a flexible platform that supports all the models? Check out how Ventuno can help you monetize your content.

4. Video Analytics

In today’s competitive digital landscape, merely sustaining your OTT service isn’t enough—you must stay ahead. The key to doing so is leveraging data-driven insights that empower you to fine-tune every aspect of your video strategy.

Analytics is the backbone of your video business, providing insights that drive growth. A robust platform should offer complete visibility into multiple key areas

A powerful analytics dashboard should deliver real-time, granular, and actionable insights. Look for features such as customizable reports, data export capabilities, and the ability to segment data by geography, device, and date ranges. With these insights, you can make informed business decisions—adjusting content, marketing strategies, and monetization models on the fly.

Questions to ask your OTT platform provider about Analytics

5. Video player

Your video player is the most crucial part of your OTT platform. It’s not just about playing videos—it’s about delivering a seamless, high-quality experience that keeps users engaged, ensures accessibility, and supports monetization.

So, what should you look for in a great video player? Let’s break it down.

Nothing frustrates a viewer more than buffering, low-quality playback, or having to start over because their progress wasn’t saved. A smart video player should ensure

Your audience is diverse—your player should be too! A flexible video player ensures everyone can enjoy your content the way they want.

A video player should also help you maximize revenue. If ads are part of your business model, your player must support.

Questions to ask your OTT platform provider about Video Player

6. User management

Managing an OTT platform can be overwhelming, but the right user management system makes it effortless. A robust OTT solution should allow you to create sub-user profiles, control access levels, and efficiently manage your subscribers.

Now let's break down how your user management system should be

Questions to ask your platform provider about User Management

7. IT - infrastructure

A strong IT infrastructure is the backbone of any successful OTT platform. It ensures seamless streaming, robust security, and effortless scalability to handle growing user demands. Here’s what to look for:

8. Social Sharing

In today’s mobile-first world, viewers don’t just consume content—they share it. Whether it’s a trending clip, a gripping series, or a must-watch movie, audiences love spreading the word within their social circles.

That’s why your OTT platform should make social sharing seamless. With built-in integrations for Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and more, users can instantly share their favorite content, increasing visibility and engagement for your brand.

Leveraging social sharing can turn your audience into brand ambassadors, helping your OTT platform grow without heavy marketing spend. So what should you have to do all this?

Questions to ask your platform provider about Social Sharing

9. Built-in marketing tools

For any OTT business, visibility is key. With countless streaming options available, ensuring that your content is easily discoverable is crucial. That’s where built-in marketing tools come into play—helping you attract, engage, and retain your audience effortlessly.

A strong OTT platform should come with integrated SEO, email marketing, and push notifications to help you reach the right audience at the right time.

A strong SEO strategy ensures your OTT platform reaches the right audience. By optimizing for search engines, you improve visibility and drive organic traffic.

Email remains a powerful tool for audience retention and promotion. With automated and personalized email campaigns, you can keep users informed and engaged.

Timely push notifications help bring users back to your platform and improve engagement.

Questions to ask your OTT platform provider about Marketing Tools

10. Customization

In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, OTT businesses need more than just a one-size-fits-all solution. Your platform should offer complete customization to match your brand identity, user experience goals, and business needs.

To launch a professional-looking streaming platform - you should be able to

Every detail matters when it comes to user engagement. Look for customization at the widget level, allowing you to

Also, ensure a seamless experience for users across web, mobile, and TV apps by

Questions to ask your OTT platform provider about Customization

11. Support

Running an OTT business should be about creating and delivering great content—not constantly managing backend complexities. A reliable service provider takes care of the technical heavy lifting so you can focus on growing your platform.

A dedicated support team plays a crucial role in ensuring smooth operations. Whether it’s troubleshooting, platform updates, or technical upgrades, having a responsive and knowledgeable team makes all the difference.

At Ventuno, we prioritize customer success with 24/7 support across multiple channels. Whether you need training, assistance with integrations, or urgent fixes, we ensure that your platform runs seamlessly—so you never have to worry about downtime or technical roadblocks.

Questions to Ask Your OTT Platform Provider About Support

White-labeled solution

Look out for a platform that refrains from using their own branding on all your platforms and app stores. 

A fully white-labeled OTT solution creates all the apps for your business and allows you to take all the credits and ownership of the website domain.

Ventuno is a completely white-labeled OTT solution that respects your business. You are the sole owner of everything we develop for you, our name won’t be mentioned anywhere!

The Bottom Line

Launching your OTT apps is a wise decision. This article is meant to help you weed out the lackluster choices in choosing a vendor, and ensure that you end up choosing the best OTT platform that meets your need.

Check out how Ventuno’s SaaS-based OTT platform can help you launch and publish your apps on all major marketplaces in 24 hours without any coding or help from IT team while simultaneously allowing you to monetize from day one.

What are your thoughts on this article? reach out to us at info@ventunotech.com if you would like to discuss!