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Video streaming services have grown dramatically over the past decade to become one of the biggest parts of the entertainment industry. It is not surprising as the ability to watch videos of choice on demand is fantastic, as is evidenced by the viewership on VOD (video on demand) platforms.
If you are joining the VOD space, you should know that you will face challenges, especially as a beginner. You will have to overcome these obstacles to enjoy the success that platforms like Netflix have. The following is a beginner’s guide to overcoming VOD challenges before they happen:
Maximize Service Reach
To succeed in the Video on Demand industry, you should ensure that you maximize the service reach to as many households as possible. The first factor you should consider is household device usage for VOD content.
Though you will find that multiple devices are used in most households for content consumption, the television is the overwhelmingly favorite device of choice. Therefore, you should prioritize TV content and server access when distributing VOD services.
On the other hand, you still want a consistent user experience across devices which you should also consider. The larger your service reaches, the more VOD content users can consume and the higher the chances of achieving success as a distributor.
Finding The Right Platform
If you want to distribute VOD content properly, another significant obstacle will be finding the right platform on which to distribute your content. The way to find the best platform is to evaluate as many as possible based on their metrics.
These will include metrics such as user numbers and location, demographics, monetization models, and more. A common VOD challenge is a content producer rushing to put content onto a small platform with minuscule users, often leading to poor performance and revenue generation. Therefore, finding the right platform to publish content is essential, especially as a beginner.
Latency And Reliability Problems
The content produced today is of very high quality and includes significant data sizes. When distributing a significant volume of such data, a common technical obstacle you will face, especially when you are new to the VOD industry, is the lack of reliability.
The videos may lag or drop altogether without notice, adversely impacting viewership. Delivering high-quality content to viewers at scale is one of the most difficult challenges in the VOD industry. The solution to the latency issue could be implementing a multi-CDN or SD-CDN approach. By using multiple networks, you can significantly improve the user experience.
Advertisements
When you consult viewers, advertisements are the most common issues about which they will tell you. They say that ad placements when consuming VOD content should be better as it negatively affects their viewing experience.
Ad insertions are a fundamental issue you will have to solve as a distributor of VOD content. Advertising on VOD platforms should be as minimal as possible in a way that does not reduce the viewer’s experience. Most commercial ad inventories will last for a month, making it challenging to replace a poorly performing ad which is another challenge to overcome.
Device Compatibility
One of the most significant issues you will have to face in the VOD industry is device compatibility. Smart homes are here, meaning people and households are using more devices than ever.
As a VOD content distributor, you should ensure that people can access content on as many devices as possible. Therefore, you should do your best to ensure that your content is adaptive and can adjust to any bitrate or resolution.
You will face many challenges as a beginner in the VOD industry. Device compatibility, maximizing service reach, advertisements, and finding the right platform are the tip of the iceberg. The above guide should help you address the major problems but be prepared to face other issues for successful content distribution.
