Bussiness
Top developers to supercharge your smart TV app development [2024 Edition] – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
Smart TVs have changed the way we spend our evenings. This change proved to be positive, as the smart TV market size is expected to reach $292.55 billion by 2025. For startups and businesses, this is an opportunity to tap into a market with their own product.
In this guide, we talk about:
What are the benefits of smart TV app development?
A smart TV app is a great beginner project for young businesses and startups. Here’s why:
- Reach a massive audience. Smart TVs give your startup access to a large audience. This is a great way to expand your brand awareness.
- Direct-to-consumer sales. A smart TV app provides a direct channel to sell products to consumers on their TVs.
- New monetization options. With smart TV app development, you can explore new monetization strategies. In-app purchases and subscriptions are the first to come to mind.
Top five smart TV application developers
If you want to get exactly what you planned, be very careful when choosing a smart TV app development company. Here are the top 5 leaders of the industry in 2024:
Developer | Description | Features |
CONTUS Tech | A company specializing in all things related to smart TVs, OTT, and streaming platforms. | – Flexible hiring model
– 200+ third-party integrations support – Quicker smart TV app launches |
Vimeo OTT | The company offers customized Smart TV apps with powerful content management, analytics, and monetization tools. | – Top-rated video CMS
– Tracking insights – Effective security tools |
Zype | This smart TV app development company provides a complete video infrastructure for OTT streaming, with developer-friendly APIs and an open framework. | – API endpoints
– Cross-platform content sharing – Enterprise-grade video CMS with automated workflows |
VPlayed | An end-to-end OTT video platform offering cost-effective licensing and advanced security features. | – Supports various payment gateways
– In-App Purchases – Powerful HLS video player |
JWPlayer | Their team of experts specializes in creating innovative smart TV apps for online video streaming ventures. | – Native SDK recommendation
– HTML5 video player – In-app purchase support – Comprehensive video management console |
Key features to include in your smart TV app
Source: Unsplash
The smart TV app development implies several features incorporated into the app. Ignoring them negatively affects the overall UX. Here’s a list of these features:
Video content management system (CMS)
A CMS allows you to manage your video content efficiently. This includes uploading, organizing, editing, and scheduling videos for your app. Think of it as a central hub for all your video content, making updates and changes on the fly easier.
Digital rights management (DRM)
DRM is crucial for protecting copyrighted video content. It encrypts videos and controls access based on user permissions, which is essential if your app distributes premium content or videos requiring a purchase or subscription.
Monetization options
Generating revenue through your smart TV app is vital. Apart from classical options like in-app purchases or subscriptions, consider the following:
- Pay-per-view (PPV). This allows users to rent or purchase individual pieces of content, like a movie or a sporting event, within the app. This caters to users who might not want a full subscription but are interested in specific content.
- Transactional model (e-commerce). If your app integrates with an online store, users can directly purchase items through the app itself.
- Freemium model. Offer a basic version of your app for free with limited features or content. Users can then upgrade to a premium version for additional features or full access.
- Tiered subscriptions. Implement different subscription tiers with varying pricing and features. This is an advantage for users with different budgets.
- Sponsored content. Integrate sponsored content or short commercials within the app’s interface.
- Data insights. If your app collects anonymized user data, you can offer this data (in aggregate) to brands and marketing agencies for a fee.
- In-app virtual items. This applies to specific app categories, like games. Users can purchase virtual items like power-ups, character customization options, or additional levels.
Tracking and analytics
Tracking tools provide data on how users interact with your app. This can be used for further improvement or smart recommendations.
Smart recommendations
Smart recommendations suggest content based on the user’s watch history. This personalizes the UX and makes them spend more time in your app.
Voice search
Voice search makes navigating a smart TV app more convenient. Especially for a faster search on a large screen.
Remote control compatibility
Ensuring your app functions smoothly with the remote control that comes with the smart TV is essential. Buttons and navigation should be optimized for easy control from the couch.
The bottom line
Although the main focus of our article was choosing the right smart TV app development company, we still recommend setting your goals and budgeting prior to that. In most cases, the choice of vendor depends on budgets and business goals. As you perform these preparation steps, it will be a lot easier to choose the right developing company.