The Best OTT Platforms for 2023 [Updated]

Over-the-top (OTT) streaming has been on the up and up, and it’s recently reached a new major milestone. In July 2022, streaming services collected a 34.8% share of total TV consumption in the US, beating out cable for the first time in history. First, it was Blockbuster—and now cable.

More people are cutting the cable and turning to OTT platforms for entertainment, and companies are following the trend. Fortunately, modern-day software solutions make it easier than ever for businesses (big and small) to provide top-notch video experiences at scale.

OTT platforms help businesses upload, transcode, host, deliver, and monetize video content. Local sports, faith groups, online courses, TV series, and publishers take advantage of this technology to reach their audiences with faster, higher-quality video experiences.

New to OTT streaming? You’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about OTT platforms. We’ll show you must-have features, examples, the best OTT streaming services, tips for choosing the right solution for your business, and how to get started.

What Is an Over-the-Top (OTT) Platform?

OTT is a digital distribution method where content is delivered and consumed over the internet rather than through traditional cable or satellite. It’s the way you watch streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

OTT platforms let businesses upload, host, and deliver content over the web. They provide the features, infrastructure, and support necessary to transcode millions of gigabytes of video content for consumption across countries, devices, languages, and internet speeds.

Whether you want to sell developer courses, local sports streaming, films, or TV series, OTT platforms empower your business to build custom-made streaming services for your customers. You get to customize the player, user experience, and monetization methods specifically for your content and audience.

For example, you could use an OTT platform to monetize your video content with the following methods:

• Advertising Video on Demand (AVOD): Provide free content for your viewers that they can consume by watching advertisements before and during your videos.
• Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD): Require users to pay a fixed monthly subscription fee to access your video-on-demand (VOD) library or live-streamed content.
• Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD): Sell or rent your videos on a pay-per-view basis where customers access the content for a limited time for a fraction of the cost of subscription models.

How Does OTT Streaming Work?

• Publishers Upload Content: Your business uploads content to an OTT platform for storage and hosting.
• Platforms Begin Encoding: OTT platforms encode the uploaded content to balance performance and quality. They then transcode the file into various formats for playback across devices and bandwidths.
• Platforms Cache Content Across CDNs: OTT platforms deliver your content across their CDNs and points of presence (POPs) to ensure quick video delivery to consumers.
• Users Consume Your Content: Users click on your content to consume the video. The request triggers the local CDN to send the file, and it also requests your DRM server for the correct key to decrypt the content.
• Advertisers Target Your Audience: If you’ve enabled AVOD, advertisers will bid on your content to place an advertisement in front of your audience. The bidding and negotiations happen under the hood.

How Customers Watch OTT Content

Your audience can consume OTT content in a multitude of ways, which is one of the primary advantages OTT has over cable and satellite solutions. Customers can start streaming your content on their phone, switch over to their laptop, and finish on the smart TV. 

Here are all the ways modern-day consumers are watching OTT content:

OTT Devices

OTT devices can turn any TV into a streaming solution. Some smart TVs come with over-the-top streaming built in, while others will need additional hardware. This equipment is purpose-made to enable OTT. Here are a few examples of OTT devices:

• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV Stick
• Google Chromecast
• Samsung Smart TV
• Android TV
• Apple TV

Gaming Consoles

• Xbox
• Playstation

Modern-day video consumers also watch content on their laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. These devices primarily serve other purposes, but they’re built with the technology necessary for OTT consumption. 

Key Differences Between OTT and Traditional TV

The differences between OTT and traditional TV have continued to grow as technology and cloud-based applications evolve. Here are a few of the critical distinctions:

• Hardware: Traditional TV requires satellite or cable box hardware, including hands-on installation and maintenance.
• Advertising: OTT consumption lets you make data-backed advertising decisions rather than blasting a global audience that might not be interested in the content.
• Prices: Cable has less flexible pricing options. OTT streaming services allow customers to pick and choose price plans that work for them.
• VOD: TV digital video recorders (DVR) transformed VOD options for cable and satellite viewers, but they still can’t compete with the vast libraries of VOD and live-streamable content that OTT streaming services provide.
• Availability: Consumers can watch OTT content on practically any mobile device rather than having to view videos solely from cable or satellite-connected TVs.

How to Create an OTT App

If you want to create your own OTT apps, here’s what that process would entail:

• Raise funds for app development. You’ll need between $30,000 and $50,000 per platform. So, if you want to be on six OTT streaming platforms (iOS app, Android app, Android TV, Roku TV, Playstation, and XBox, for example), you will need between $180,000 and $300,000.
• Hire a development team. You can hire in house or outsource production.
• Tell your development team what you’re looking for, and project manage development.
• Three to six months later, you’ll have an app.
• However, your work isn’t over. After your apps launch, you’ll need to maintain them and provide customers with technical support.

As you can see, developing and managing your own OTT apps is expensive and time consuming. A better alternative is to use an existing OTT app provider, like JW Player, and white labeling their technology. 

Why Are OTT Apps Important?

In 2014, the percentage of U.S. households without a traditional TV subscription was 18.8%. By 2022, that figure had grown to a whopping 55%. People are increasingly “cutting the cord” because there are so many alternatives to cable subscriptions. As traditional subscriptions dwindle, OTT apps have risen to the top as more flexible, affordable, faster, and better alternatives.

These apps are democratizing broadcasting by allowing anyone to publish content through platforms like YouTube and professional OTT platforms such as JWP. 

Additionally, OTT apps increase media accessibility, requiring only an internet connection and a device to watch content, eliminating the need for costly hardware and contracts.

Finally, they offer a wide range of choices, from Smart TV to mobile apps, catering to the increasing trend of streaming through mobile devices.

Types of OTT Apps

You’re probably wondering what type of OTT apps are out there and which ones are worth investing in. Here’s a quick overview:

• Mobile OTT apps: Prioritize iOS and Android apps based on your audience’s region.
• Connected TV OTT apps: Consider platforms like Android TV, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TV, and Apple TV.
• Game console OTT apps: Explore adding apps for game consoles like PlayStation and Xbox for an audience active in the gaming community.

How To Use OTT Analytics To Improve Viewer Engagement

Here’s why OTT providers should look into setting up detailed analytics for their content.

• Making evidence-based decisions and accurate predictions: In a competitive OTT market with numerous publishers, using valuable data is crucial. Netflix’s success, owning 16% of the market share, is attributed to analyzing viewer data for effective marketing and sales tactics, programming, and guiding the business in the right direction.
• Providing a better audience experience: Understanding behavior-based audience insights through data intelligence enhances customer satisfaction. With 45% of the population now consuming more on-demand services, leveraging analytics data improves content programming to reduce churn.
• Using time and resources wisely: Data analytics are essential for maintaining profitability in the booming OTT industry. The worldwide OTT TV and video revenue is expected to reach $235 billion by 2028. Still, you cannot increase profits without carefully considering how you use your business’ time and resources.

Why Do Businesses Need an OTT Platform?

OTT platforms provide you with all the pre-made tools you need to deliver content to your audience. Solutions like JW Player give your developers APIs, SDKs, and OTT apps to empower your teams to build video into any application:

• Website
• Landing page
• Video repository
• Mobile app
• Smart TV app

Optimizing for a seamless viewing experience with reduced buffering and high-quality resolution is crucial. Moreover, OTT platforms provide monetization options through ads or subscriptions, ensuring secure revenue generation. 

These platforms also provide data rights management (DRM) solutions to protect your content regardless of the device or region.

Finally, an enterprise-quality OTT platform also prevents trust-breaking outages and service disruptions. When you host all your videos on your own server, you’re vulnerable to downtime. OTT platforms tend to take a multi-CDN (content delivery network) approach that ensures your consumers never experience any downtime, regardless of failures at single server locations.

While we believe any business can benefit from an OTT platform, these are the industries that will profit the most:

1. Film and TV

Live TV and film broadcasters need platforms to host and deliver live and VOD content. Broadcasters need a service they can trust for 24/7 streams and events at high resolutions. They also need a platform that can quickly convert live-streamed content into video on demand, helping them capitalize and maximize profits on every piece of content they produce.

2. Fitness

Fitness classes are moving from the studios into the homes with the help of live streaming and VOD content. Enterprise-grade platforms help you avoid tempo-disrupting buffering while serving your content to audiences of any size. 

Advanced platforms also let you customize your player to match your brand and workout. Plug your videos (live or VOD) into your mobile application or OTT-connected devices to empower your customers to easily take the workout from their living room to the basement to the gym.

3. Online Courses

Add video lectures to your online course or mobile application to take learning to the next level. Whether you’re hosting a single class or an entire catalog of courses, use a platform to host, organize, and deliver first-class video experiences at scale. 

Unlike YouTube or Vimeo, OTT platforms like JW Player let you provide an on-brand experience and promote your own videos—when your audience finishes the first lecture, they get prompted with your relevant content instead of your competitors’.

4. Sports

Stream on-demand and live sporting events to your audience. Feature everything from your local professional teams to high school playoffs to the regional pickleball tournament. OTT platforms help you deliver this content with a 99.99% global delivery time, ensuring nobody misses an important play because of an outage or loading icon.

5. Faith

More church services are moving from the chapel to the internet thanks to the ease and convenience of OTT platforms. Broadcast your live lectures to your audience via your website or application, and quickly convert your lectures into videos to engage your audience and further monetize your content.

6. Gaming

Professional video game streamers need platforms they can trust to capture and deliver high-quality content without compromising their performance. Audiences want to engage with live videos and on-demand video, meaning you need transcoding and hosting you can trust.

Examples of Companies Using OTT Streaming Platforms

There’s a good chance you’ve already engaged with an OTT service today—whether you watched a quick YouTube video or put on a Disney+ TV show for your kids. Here are a few common examples of companies using OTT streaming services:

• Netflix
• Hulu
• Disney+
• Amazon Prime Video
• Apple TV+
• HBO Max
• NBC Peacock
• Paramount+
• YouTube TV
• ESPN+
• Sling TV
• fuboTV
• Discovery+

Big-name companies like Netflix and Hulu might dominate the streaming landscape, but there is still a place for your business. Communities and consumers demand niche content that the industry leaders just aren’t providing, and you have the chance to capitalize on the interest.

Here’s a look at how our own customers are getting creative and building unique video streaming services:

Knowledge Network

Knowledge Network is an independent (free and ad-free) publicly funded educational cable TV network in British Columbia. They needed a digital solution that was affordable but also could deliver content at the scale they imagined. After switching from traditional to OTT, they grew viewership by 55% over the next couple of years.

Q.Digital

Q.Digital is the world’s largest LGBTQ-owned and run media network, reaching 9.5 million people each month. The network used JW Player’s OTT platform to embed video players across their site in the sidebars and landing pages. The result? Q.Digital increased monthly video plays by 10,976% (not a typo) and grew ad impressions by 25,791% (again, not a typo).

How to Choose the Right OTT Platform

OTT platforms have made it simple for any company to get serious about video content—the hardest part is choosing the right one. Searching across the internet (and our list below), it’s hard to narrow down your options and find the best OTT platform.

To complicate the matter further, there’s no one-size-fits-all platform for everyone out there. Some OTT platforms cater better to startups and small businesses, while others provide more enterprise-level hosting and performance. 

All in all, it’s a lot to consider—so we wanted to help by highlighting a few key decision-making criteria:

Content Delivery

Look for an OTT platform with a multi-CDN. Single CDN solutions are still vulnerable to outages and service disruptions. A multi-CDN approach gives you a fallback plan in case a single CDN goes down, and it also expands your geographic distribution and performance. 

For example, JW Player’s multi-CDN solution gives you points of presence (POPs) in 130+ countries. Think about your business’s future direction. While you might be delivering to a single region at the moment, consider a solution that won’t limit you if you decide to expand to an international audience down the road.

Transcoding

Find a service that’ll transcode your content uploads for various resolutions and devices. You want to ensure that your desktop and mobile users have a great viewing experience, regardless of their location or internet bandwidth. 

Ease of Use

It doesn’t matter how affordable or sophisticated your OTT platform is if the back end is too difficult to navigate. Find a solution with an easy-to-use user interface (UI) for your program managers. 

While you’re at it, find a solution your developers will love. You’ll want a platform with APIs and SDKs for building whatever your content needs—and this functionality needs to be backed up with sufficient documentation and world-class support.

Monetization

Choose a platform that lets you monetize with a variety of options. You might want to offer your audience different viewership tiers, and you need a platform that’ll enable that functionality. For example, you might want to let viewers watch your content for free with advertisements while still offering an ad-free subscription option. Popular OTT streaming services like Hulu and Peacock take advantage of these pricing models.

Video Performance

Video performance is a non-negotiable element when choosing your OTT platform. Your audience needs to be able to watch content in a variety of formats that’ll meet their device and internet connection’s minimum requirements. The same goes for your live streams—find a platform that reduces latency issues and prioritizes the viewer’s experience.

Analytics

Data helps you make decisions about the future content you produce for your audience. Choose a platform that lets you gain valuable insights into how your viewers watch and engage with your content. Ideally, find a platform with real-time metrics to enable you to make decisions faster, especially when it comes to live video.

Content Protection

Safeguard your content with a DRM solution made for video content. You need security features like HLS token signing, 24/7 monitoring, and geo-blocking to ensure that only paying customers (with the right permissions) get access to your content. 

Engagement Features

Watching a video is just the first step in your customer’s journey. You want to lead them down your pipeline to discover other pieces of content and articles relevant to what they’re viewing. Find a solution with rich engagement features that’ll keep your audience entertained and watching for longer.

Support

Reliable support is a crucial factor to consider when choosing an OTT platform. Ideally, you would look for a multi-CDN network that guarantees excellent video quality with low latency and uptime. Additionally, your business could benefit from an in-house NOC team performing round-the clock monitoring. If you want enhanced availability during peak demand, opt for a highly scalable cloud-based solution. Ultimately, automated alerts and flexible Support SLA packages will provide added reliability and convenience. 

Subscriptions and Identity Management

Find an OTT platform that offers flexible subscriptions and payments, global authentication, and customizable branded experience. At the same time, control of the subscriber lifecycle with identity management and ensure user security with data compliance. For the optimal experience, easily authenticate users with integrated APIs.

Pricing

Regardless of the features and functionality, you can’t choose a platform you can’t afford. Talk to sales teams at the OTT platforms you’re interested in to get demos, walkthroughs, and personalized quotes. Armed with this information, you’ll have everything you need to make the best financial decisions for your business.

Furthermore, find a platform with a free trial. This will let you get hands-on experience with the product before you even think about taking your credit card out, ensuring your personal interactions dictate the best product for your business.

What Are The 15 Best OTT Platforms for 2023?

We narrowed down your options to help you find the right OTT platform for your business. Below, you’ll find the seven best OTT platforms for 2023. We also used popular review sites like G2, TrustRadius, and Capterra to find customer-verified pros and cons of the software.

1. JW Player

JWP is the go-to OTT platform for over 40,000 publishers and broadcasters. With our platform, companies can effortlessly stream videos, engage audiences across various screens, and effectively monetize their content. 

Plus, it’s developer-friendly with easy-to-use APIs and native SDKs for app development. On top of that, JWP’s video player embraces cutting-edge technologies like MPEG-DASH protocol, simulcasting to Facebook Live, multi-bitrate streaming, and plenty more.

Read through our main selling points and see how our complete online video solution empowers businesses:

• Customizable HTML5 video player: Personalize your video player with CSS customization and APIs for fully branded experiences.
• Mobile SDKs: As 43% of video plays happen in native apps, mobile optimization is essential. With our native mobile SDKs, you can effortlessly integrate JWP functionality to your Android or iOS apps for engaging media playback.
• OTT apps: Implement custom designs along with in-app search and mobile notifications to maximize engagement. Furthermore, streamline your workflow and manage your content across web and apps via a single platform. Our team of industry experts is here to support you every step of your commercial success.
• Live-streaming and video-on-demand content delivery: Achieve top-tier video quality for global audiences at an immense scale, and join the ranks of 88% of customers who have experienced over a 10% increase in video viewing.
• Real-time analytics: Utilize comprehensive data insights to monitor and enhance your video creation, publishing, and advertising approach.
• Recommendations: By leveraging a proprietary algorithm that considers consecutive video sets, completion rates, watch times, trending scores, and metadata, Recommendations automatically suggests videos with the highest likelihood to extend a viewers watch session.
• Article matching: Create contextually relevant video playlists within your articles using the Article Matching feature. Each playlist is limited to 100 videos.
• Ad insertion: JWP’s advertising features monetize your content with engaging video ads. The player supports standard ad types (VAST, VPAID, VMAP), third party technologies (Google IMA SDK, FreeWheel SDK), and any ad server with these ad types. Plus, customize viewer ad experiences with ad rules, breaks, and localized messaging.
• Video player bidding: Player Bidding (PB) links your digital video inventory directly to advertising demand sources, fostering competition and maximizing your ad yield.

To take our stellar tools for a test-drive, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial today. When you decide JWP’s the solution for you, contact our sales team to work out a price depending on the features you need.

Pros:

• Comprehensive end-to-end video solution
• Secure, reliable, and user-friendly
• Quick upload times and fast streaming delivery
• Easy-to-use APIs and SDKs
• Affordable plans for companies of all sizes

Cons:

• No podcasting solutions
• Some users on G2 found JW Player takes time to set up more advanced functionality 

2. Kaltura

Kaltura is an open-source video management platform that focuses primarily on educational content. Users have complete flexibility when it comes to designing their video player, allowing them to adjust colors, branding, and even available features. 

Thanks to its open-source roots, everything can be built and changed with custom integrations and community-sourced add-ons. Here’s what you can expect if you sign up:

• Collaborative classroom tools
• Interactive engagement tools
• xAPI and Caliper analytics
• 508, CVAA, and WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility standards
• LMS/VLE integrations
• Open APIs

In terms of pricing, Kaltura offers a “pay-as-you-go” model. What’s more, you can choose a plan or mix and match solutions to make the most out of your subscription. Quotes are available upon contacting the sales team.

Pros:

• Highly customizable
• Education-specific tools like virtual classrooms, lecture capture, and campus portal tools
• Open-sourced software

Cons:

• Users on G2 complained that Kaltura is too complicated and requires heavy developer resources
• Users on G2 found that the platform doesn’t perform well on iPads and other tablets

3. Dacast

Dacast provides a live streaming and VOD platform for small-to-medium-sized companies and enterprise businesses. It’s best known for providing top-notch international streaming experiences thanks to its CDN approach, and it has a reliable technical support team for helping companies to overcome setup hurdles. 

The platform’s password protection ensures secure distribution of video content to global audiences, while its user-friendly interface simplifies the streaming process. We gathered some of their key features:

• Secure video hosting
• Live event streaming
• Video monetization
• VOD and OTT platform
• HTML5 video player

You can explore Dacast starting at only $39 for the Starter plan, or you can upgrade to the Event ($63/per month) or the Scale ($165/month) tier.

Pros:

• Reliable CDN solution
• Available APIs and SDKs
• 24/7 technical support

Cons:

• A few users on G2 complained about unreliable APIs
• Some users on G2 experienced bandwidth and streaming issues

4. Wistia

Wistia is a video platform built for marketing teams and content creators. It provides easy-to-use non-technical features for creating, hosting, marketing, and analyzing video content.

Wistia integrates with your marketing tech stacks and workflows to make video a seamless extension of all your marketing activities. While Wistia doesn’t provide live-streaming video options, it has launched a webinar product. Some of their main features include:

• Custom video player
• Live events and webinars
• Podcasts
• Video hosting
• Video collaboration
• Embedding
• CMS integration
• Marketing and SEO tools

Four pricing plans are available if you wish to use Wistia’s platform. The Plus plan comes at only $24 per month, while the Pro and Advanced levels cost $99 and $399 per month, respectively. For custom features, you can check out their Premium plan.

Pros:

• Marketer-friendly 
• Clean, easy-to-navigate user interface
• Highly customizable

Cons:

• A few users on G2 complained about poor analytics and insights
• Users on G2 don’t love the pricing or charges

5. Vidyard

Vidyard is an OTT platform specializing in video solutions for marketing and sales teams. It provides built-in tools for search engine optimization, lead generation, email capture, viewer engagement, and more. 

Furthermore, Vidyard empowers sales reps to quickly record and send videos to potential clients with easy-to-use screen and webcam recording features and templates. Have a peek at their stand-out features:

• Screen recording
• Video hosting
• Browser extension
• Video playlists
• Email videos
• Real-time analytics
• GIF previews
• Sales integrations
• SEO tools

All of the above could be yours for free if you sign up for Vidyard’s base plan. If your needs exceed the free plan’s limits, you can opt for the Pro plan starting at $19. For more advanced features, contact the sales team to book a demo.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface and features
• Powerful sales tools, recording options, buttons, and links
• Reliable support

Cons:

• Some users on G2 have complained about buggy features
• A few users on G2 complained about back-end management and terminology confusion

6. Muvi

Muvi is an OTT tool designed for building your own video streaming platform (like Netflix or Hulu). It provides a complete white-label experience for products, meaning you get your own domain name and custom player branding. 

Moreover, Muvi has one of the industry’s strongest audio-only streaming options, making it easy for businesses to add podcasts and music to their list of offerings. Have a look at their list of features:

• 4K video streaming
• Customizations
• Geo-blocking
• Mobile and TV app integrations
• OTT mobile and TV apps
• Monetization options
• User management tools
• Built-in SEO tools
• Advanced security

Similar to the rest of the OTT platforms on our list, Muvi has four pricing plans. The cheapest option is the Standard plan at $399 per month. The Professional tier costs $1,499 monthly, while the Enterprise tier will set you back $3,900 per month. Custom plans are also available.

Pros:

• Easy-to-use platform that doesn’t require technical know-how
• Audio-only streaming for hosting podcasts and music
• White-labeling features for complete customization and branding

Cons:

• Some users on G2 complained about modifying pre-built templates and wished there were more options
• A few customers complained that the free trial version lacked features to truly test the software

7. Vimeo OTT

Originally a consumer-grade video hosting provider and YouTube competitor, Vimeo later shifted its focus to cater to the creative market, attracting filmmakers, graphic designers, and artists. 

In 2017, Vimeo acquired Livestream, expanding its offerings to include both on-demand and live video services. Today, Vimeo serves as a high-end OTT platform using Livestream’s technology, making it an excellent choice for media businesses. Take a look at what they offer:

• HD streaming in 1080p
• Performance monitoring and analytics
• Customization features
• Simulcast and multistream options
• SEO optimization
• Ad-free player
• Interactive viewer tools 
• Unlimited live streaming for Vimeo Premium users

After completing your one week free trial, you can choose one of Vimeo’s three pricing tiers. Their Starter plan costs just $12 per seat/month, while the Standard and Advanced tiers cost $20 and $65 per seat/month, respectively. For additional Enterprise features, you can contact the sales team.

Pros:

• Cost-efficient
• Easy embed options
• Good integration with other platforms

Cons:

• Some G2 users think the platform is difficult to learn for beginners
• Users on G2 report connectivity issues

8. IBM Cloud Video

As a subsidiary of IBM, a renowned leader in the tech industry, IBM Cloud brings significant credibility to the table. The platform excels in providing reliable video hosting solutions for both live streaming and on-demand video.

What’s more, IBM Cloud Video has recently introduced video monetization tools, offering broadcasters to generate revenue. Take a look at what else they have in store:

• AI automation
• Mobile-friendly video player
• Multi-layered security for enterprise tier
• Automated closed captioning
• Multi-CDN infrastructure 

These features are available at several price points after the 30-day free trial. You can choose from the three price levels: Silver (starting at $129 per month), Gold (starting at $649 per month), and Platinum (starting at $1,299 per month).

Alternatively, you can contact IBM Cloud video about custom pricing for additional features.

Pros:

• Cost-effective
• Good firewall support
• User-friendly tools

Cons:

• G2 users reported scalability challenges
• Other users on G2 said that drawing data from other devices through P2P causes latency

9. Wowza

When it comes to the best OTT platforms, Wowza stands out with its comprehensive solutions that cater to various industries. With its own content delivery networks (CDNs), Wowza ensures reliable global content delivery. 

Wowza’s expertise in live streaming is exemplified through its patented software. Namely, the Extensible Modular Architecture allows for immediate scalability of live streams, guaranteeing an exceptional viewing experience. Here are some of their key features:

• VOD and live video streaming
• Real-time video streaming
• Video content management system
• Content Delivery Network
• High-quality HTML5 video player
• Real-time analytics
• Low-latency streaming
• Mobile app
• VR and 360° streaming

Wowza’s pricing structure includes several tiers, designed to be flexible and cater to the diverse needs of its users. 

That being said, the monthly subscription tier is the most cost-effective option, costing $25 per month for Wowza Video and $195 per month for Wowza Streaming Engine.

Pros:

• Supports ultra HD streaming
• Live event support
• 24×7 streaming

Cons:

• G2 users complain about the customer support responsiveness
• Some G2 users suggest improvement of the analytics feature

10. SproutVideo

SproutVideo is an OTT platform based in Brooklyn, offering an extensive list of powerful marketing tools. The platform caters to the needs of leading OTT content providers while also providing comprehensive support for live streaming and on-demand video hosting through various business apps.

It’s primarily designed with business broadcasting in mind, empowering organizations to effectively deliver content to target audiences. Here’s what you can expect if you sign up:

• Comprehensive privacy controls
• Mobile-optimized websites
• Viewer analytics
• Marketing tools
• Customizable web player
• Easy social sharing
• Intuitive embed options
• AES 128 encryption
• Multiple format support
• HD and Ultra HD support
• CDN delivery

You can choose one of SproutVideo’s four pricing plans, starting at only $10 for the Sprout plan and going up to $295 for the Forest tier.

Pros:

• Friendly user interface
• Great storage
• Helpful support team according to G2 users

Cons:

• Steep price jump between tiers according to some G2 users
• Some users would like to see an option to upload several videos with the same privacy settings at the same time

11. VPlayed

VPlayed is a reputable player in the OTT industry, providing a comprehensive OTT solution tailored to media broadcasters, television production houses, and content owners. 

Their white-label monetization platform empowers content creators to stream high-quality video across various devices. VPlayed’s main selling point is its customization, allowing businesses to create a fully personalized OTT platform. Here are some other major benefits to consider:

• Offline viewing
• Social login
• Several payment gateways
• Ratings and comments
• Watchlist
• Live viewer engagement tools
• Multi-lingual support
• Multiple monetization models
• Encoding and transcoding 

To find out the total cost of VPlayed’s solution, book a demo with their sales team.

Pros:

• Seamless streaming experience
• Online course catalog
• Functional web and mobile apps

Cons:

• Some G2 users would like to see improved marketing tools
• Users on G2 noticed that third-party apps are necessary for some customizations

12. Brid.TV

Brid.TV is an enterprise-level OTT platform supporting worldwide video broadcasting on PCs, mobile devices, and tablets. What sets Brid.TV apart from its competitors is its partnership with leading ad providers, bolstering video revenue-building strategies.

Through collaborations with giants like Google ADX, users gain valuable insights into the generated revenue and effortlessly expand their video reach. Read through some of their highlight features:

• Smart playlists
• Ad demand
• WordPress plugin
• Account manager
• Inter-SSP Auctions

Brid.TV is quite flexible in terms of pricing, offering a free trial and a free plan. However, if your business requires additional features, you can reach out to their team for a demo and custom prices.

Pros:

• Fast video player
• White-label video solution
• Superior flexibility

Cons:

• Some Capterra users complain about monetization limitations by Google
• Reviewers on Capterra would like to see better managed live streaming

13. Streann

Streann offers an innovative “Smart OTT” platform designed to empower broadcasters to create content distribution apps for their users.

The platform provides a professional broadcasting experience, making it an ideal choice for large companies with intricate needs. Their list of features includes:

• Branded mobile and TV apps
• Inside-Cast
• Multi-camera streaming
• Live chat option
• Monetization technologies
• Social media integration

Streann’s software comes at two different price points. To find out how much each plan costs, you need to book a demo.

Pros:

• No hidden fees
• Users on G2 said Streann is easy to use
• High quality video streams

Cons:

• G2 reviewers didn’t like the customization limitations

14. Setplex

Another big name in the OTT industry, Setplex provides comprehensive IPTV solutions for operators and OTT service providers. With a focus on innovation, the platform excels in delivering custom-tailored solutions for the unique needs of each client. 

Embracing the belief that the future of television lies in OTT, their solutions encourage operators to offer live TV, catch-up TV, VOD, and interactive features across devices. Read along for their most prominent features:

• IPTV transcoding
• Robust CDNs
• Middleware integration
• Interface customization
• Advanced security

Since Setplex offers custom solutions, their pricing levels will depend on what kind of features you are aiming for. To get a personalized quote, book a demo.

Pros:

• Suitable for high-level and smaller businesses
• Clean UX/UI
• G2 users think that Setplex is a one-stop solution for streaming videos

Cons:

• Some G2 users would like to see lower prices

15. Brightcove

Brightcove is an enterprise-grade OTT platform designed to host and build video streaming services. With the platform, businesses get access to first-class CDNs, APIs, integrations, and broadcasting features.

Its comprehensive suite of tools and features allows content creators to seamlessly deliver on-demand videos, live streams and interactive content to global audiences, while maintaining high-quality playback. Their offer includes:

• Live streaming
• Video marketing
• Content monetization
• Audience insights
• Video encoding
• Interactive engagement elements

Brightcove’s OTT pricing options are designed to meet the needs of top-tier professionals on the market. For those interested in their services, contact Brightcove directly to receive a custom plan.

Pros:

• High-quality technology and tools
• Wide range of marketing and sales integrations

Cons:

• Users on G2 complained about the user interface being outdated and clunky
• Some users on G2 had issues with the analytics and live-streaming metrics

What’s the Future of OTT Streaming?

Despite OTT’s market emergence and dominance, it’s still relatively new to the world. While it might seem like a lifetime ago, most of us weren’t walking around with smartphones until fairly recently. The future of OTT streaming is young and full of potential, and here are our predictions for where it’s heading next.

• More Pricing Options: Even strictly SVOD companies like Netflix are beginning to dabble with advertised-based models. More options mean more inclusivity (and better experiences) for customers, and that leads to increased retention and lifetime value.
• Delivery Expansions: Customers want access to live-streaming content and VOD. The services that provide both have a leg up on the competition, and that could make the difference when customers start getting picky with their streaming subscriptions.
• Fierce Competition: You thought we already had too many streaming services? This is just the beginning. Companies will need to get bold and innovative to stand out from the competition and win their target market.
• Riches in the Niches: Right now, most streaming services try to be everything for everyone. As OTT streaming evolves, look for niches to emerge, such as products catered specifically to someone who likes country music (as opposed to all music).
• Engagement Focus: Companies will begin getting more creative with how they attract and retain viewers. It’s not enough to get customers on your platform—you need to convince them to stay, and that’s easier said than done.

Get Started With an All-in-One OTT Platform

Don’t settle for just any old OTT platform—choose one that’s purpose-built for your needs. We built JW Player to be a complete video platform for your company to connect and engage with your audience on a deeper level, regardless of their device, location, or bandwidth. 

• Play: Build our high-quality players into your website, mobile app, or connected TV to deliver top-notch video experiences without limitations.
• Stream: Provide live-streamed content and video-on-demand products at scale (and at pace). 
• Monetize: Optimize your ad revenue with industry-leading ad support to maximize fill rates and CPMs across screens and platforms.
• Engage: Capture your audience’s attention faster (and for longer) with engagement products like Recommendations and Article Matching.

Experience the ease of uploading, organizing, and delivering video content with JWP.

Start your 30-day free trial today to access full API and SDK capabilities (plus 25GB hosting and 75GB streaming).