Traditional television broadcast viewership is deteriorating with millennials cutting the cord, online TV channel have started to pick up the pace. Online cloud TV channels are now becoming more popular amongst broadcasters. This is due to their cost-effectiveness, scalability, and … Continue reading
Traditional television broadcast viewership is deteriorating with millennials cutting the cord, online TV channel have started to pick up the pace. Online cloud TV channels are now becoming more popular amongst broadcasters. This is due to their cost-effectiveness, scalability, and more flexible and technology-friendly infrastructure. Today the internet is booming like never before.
With the growing cord-cutting and increase in online content consumption, it seems a more than wise option to launch your online TV channel. Broadcasters are now venturing into cloud playout-driven software solutions to launch online TV channels across multiple platforms to reach the global audience. Traditional TV setups have several limitations such as the requirement of specific hardware components deployed at the place of broadcasting and more.
This blog will act as a guide on how you can start your online TV channel. It will let you know everything that you need to know to start your first platform for live streams as well as on-demand content. No matter whether you want to stream live or publish on-demand content such as movies, Muvi Playout is enough.
Videos are a significant part of online content consumption. People are watching content on the go as well as in the comfort of their homes. This demand for online video is another reason for diminishing traditional TV streaming. Here are a few insights about online video consumption that you must know.
OTT viewing or online video viewing is massive and it is the right time to exploit the most out it.
Cloud TV platforms are fairly much easier to operate than the traditional TV broadcasting setup. All one needs is a good internet connection and an efficient cloud playout software such as Muvi Playout. Hence a cloud setup offers various advantages over traditional media in terms of streaming audio and videos.
Online internet-based streaming does not require specialized equipment that comes at a very high cost. Cloud streaming solutions for TV programming ensure that you go live with minimal resources. They are your content, internet TV streaming software, and a good internet connection and apps. Also since it is hosted on the cloud, it is scalable when you need to add more programs and channels.
Internet-based TV viewing can reach any household with a working internet connection. This eliminates the need for them to use set-top boxes or anything else. This makes the cloud TV platform globally accessible, expands viewerships, and enhances your profit margins. With emerging social media platforms, the task becomes even easier.
Every click can be measured on the internet and the same is true for an internet-based TV streaming platform. It lets you monitor your viewer’s trends and helps you create better-scheduled programming to suit their needs. Such actionable insights help you make informed decisions.
Online TV streaming can be deployed with several features that can enhance the viewing experience of the user. Starting with having chat windows for your viewers to communicate, social media integration, better quality streaming based on user’s speed, and more.
It offers seamless integration with social media, advertising networks, and other online platforms for enhanced functionality. It’s easy to create, deploy, and upgrade whenever needed.
A lot of advanced features of a cloud playout solution can be offered. However, here are some of the basic requirements you would need from your playout solution partner to launch your cloud TV channel. Remember, a cloud streaming partner must be open to upgrades and should offer customizations wherever possible.
Opt for a cloud playout solution provider that lets you host both VoD and live stream content. By delivering a combined set of content, you can cater to a wider audience on your OTT platform, giving them the option of switching between live or on-demand video.
With Muvi Playout, you have both the options of starting a live TV channel and/or broadcasting pre-scheduled VoD content.
Make sure you choose a playout software that allows you to customize your smart TV channel to match your brand persona. For example, customizing design like matching the streaming player with your logo, social media links, etc fairly easily without any coding requirements. Your platform should reflect your brand identity and that should be a priority.
Nowadays, video is consumed more on mobile phones and streaming content on just one platform does not suffice. There is a range of different devices and platforms from which users consume content. It is therefore imperative to choose a cloud playout platform that delivers a frame-perfect, online TV experience supported across multiple devices. It can be the web, or mobile operating systems like Android, iOS, or Smart TVs platforms such as Apple TV, Android TV, and more.
Choose a cloud playout platform that can deliver customized content based on the user’s geographical location. This helps you with language and region-based content push. Nowadays, delivering personalized content based on viewers’ interests and geographical location is the need of the hour.
Cloud playout ensures to address this growing demand for tailored content, by delivering personalized programming and advertising. This option comes in handy for localizing your channels based on geographical locations and time shifts as per necessity.
The biggest challenge you might face before starting your cloud-streaming TV channel is finding your niche. It’s completely okay to juggle between all kinds of content just like a traditional TV channel would. However, it’s wise to focus on a niche for building your community of loyal users.
Some of the most popular cloud TV platforms focus on showcasing one kind of content like sports, fashion, travel, etc. It can be live TV or on-demand. If you are keen on running a subscription-based channel, finding your niche would be necessary as you would have to target customers interested in the same niche and create a community.
Starting your online cloud TV platform is simple, once you narrow down on a professional cloud playout solution equipped with futuristic features and functionalities to help you reach your business goals. The internet makes a lot of things easy to deploy but that does not mean it should be taken lightly.
If you’re planning to launch your internet-based cloud TV, the first thing is you decide your cloud platform provider. There are various platforms available in the market and a careful analysis must be done to select the best option.
Let’s assume you have some amazing TV content that you want to stream on your website, but do not have the playout software you would require to schedule and stream it on your video streaming website. So, to start your online TV channel, you have three options
You can create your playout software by coding in-house. Of course for this job, you would need to have complete technical know-how on the subject. It will also require you to invest time in purchasing bandwidth, designing the front end and back end, managing viewers, analytics, and a lot more. If you have a technical background to do it, you can. However, we recommend you opt for existing cloud TV streaming service providers as they take care of everything and all you need to worry about is content.
If you have the budget, you could hire a professional developer to create the cloud playout software for you. Although this option is expensive, you have the advantage of getting a custom-made content delivery platform tailored according to your needs.
The simplest of all options- you can opt for a readymade cloud playout platform like Muvi Playout to create online TV channel without any hassles. Muvi Playout lets you start broadcast-level programming instantly from scratch without writing a single line of code.
There is more than one way to earn from your online cloud TV platform and is very similar to the existing monetization options already available on various ott platforms. The right platform development and deployment, including the right monetization strategy, can help you earn significant revenue from cloud TV channels.
Fix a monthly subscription that lets your audience access parts of your channel or the entire channel as per your requirements. This method delivers a consistent source of revenue for your online TV channel. This works best for entertainment platforms.
PPV or pay-per-view is the latest monetization strategy that can be beneficial in the online TV streaming context. Deploy some parts of your content as PPV where a user can simply pay a one-time fee to access that particular content.
Want to run ads?
That is also another great option for monetization where your users get free ad-supported TV viewing opening new doors to multiple advertiser interactions. Different brand deals can also be a part of it increasing your revenue chances.
Not sure which one of the above to deploy. Simply deploy all three. Yes, have a multi-tier plan where some parts are available for TVoD and some come under SVoD. For all others, there is AVoD where there is ad-supported viewing with limited features. It all depends on how you wish to deploy your content on the Internet-based cloud TV platform.
Muvi Playout is a cloud-based linear TV and FAST channel broadcast software built to launch and manage audio and video streaming services over the internet. Powered by OTT streaming software leader, Muvi Playout comes with feature-rich easy-to-deploy solutions for audio streaming and radio streaming requirements for smart TV.
Software as we said before is the most crucial part of any online cloud TV channel and with Muvi Playout, you can be assured that you will never lag in terms of technology. Equipped with the latest industry-standard features, Muvi Playout comes with dedicated support infrastructure and platform development support. So whether it’s linear-based TV or FAST channel, Muvi Playout takes care of everything.
Here are a few features that make Muvi Playout the best option to host your Internet TV.
All cloud TV platforms developed using Muvi Playout software are hosted on the Cloud and provide infinite scalability, traffic, views, and stability. Again the cloud is provided by AWS CloudFront known for its industrial reliability. This ensures your content is 99.99% always online and has no interruption for viewers.
Managing programs is never an issue with Muvi Playout thanks to its effortless drag-and-drop program management solution. It streamlines scheduling and eliminates the need to manually add start and end times minimizing content gaps and eventually managing program scheduling more efficiently than ever before. This is particularly beneficial as no technical expertise is needed and with just training, you can do it too.
Another addition for effective program management, Muvi Playout’s electronic program guide or EPG empowers broadcasters to enhance their program scheduling and sharing processes by allowing them to plan out all the content for one or more channels on a daily, monthly, or long-term basis without difficulty. This helps schedule programs and deploy them in advance too on your cloud TV.
Brand matters and with Muvi Playout, you can fully customize the look and feel of your player. You can do so by modifying its front end with brand logos, watermarks, and more. Build powerful music streaming apps or video content platforms easily.
HLS is one of the most popular ways to deliver online content. With Muvi Playout, you can deliver HLS output to all your viewers and even 3rd party clients. This makes streaming easier than ever before as you can simply share URLs and you are good to go.
Protecting content on the internet is equally important. Muvi deploys a multi-DRM content security system that combines the best of Micorosft PlayReady, Apple FairPlay, and Google’s Widevine. It protects your cloud tv channel against unauthorized use and piracy attempts.
While starting an online cloud TV channel in-house can be a complex and expensive process, opting for a cloud-based playout solution is the easiest and most affordable way to launch a streaming TV channel. With the right streaming solution, you are already halfway there. With cloud TV solutions, you can have as much success as any OTT platform.
Using Muvi Playout, you can launch your live cloud TV & Audio channel instantly. Broadcast pre-scheduled on-demand content in real-time over the internet just like a regular linear TV. From bulk upload, and automated scheduling to real-time transcoding and dedicated support Muvi Playout has it all. It works as a holistic playout solution for delivering live and on-demand video across all devices and platforms via the cloud TV app. Develop apps for all major smart TV ecosystems such as Apple TV, Roku TV, and more across the web.
Traditional TV broadcasts via terrestrial, cable, or satellite and requires specific hardware like antennas or cable boxes. In contrast, online cloud TV streams content over the internet, accessible on various devices like smart TVs, smartphones, and computers without specialized hardware. This allows for more flexibility, on-demand content, and personalized viewing experiences.
Benefits of online cloud TV channel are:
1. Better quality of media.
2. Increased reach due to internet’s popularity.
3. Less equipment needed to setup streaming.
4. Spans across smart TVs, smart phones, tablets and more.
Setting up a cloud TV channel is easy with software like Muvi Playout. With plans starting just at US$ 199 a month, you can setup your first feature rich online cloud TV platform.
Starting your cloud TV channel is easy. All you need is a good internet connection, all rights to your content that you are streaming and a platform such as Muvi Playout to manage distribution of your content across devices.
Written by: Sreejata Basu
Sreejata is the Manager for Muvi’s Content Marketing unit. She is a passionate writer with a background in English Literature and music. By week Sreejata spends her time in the corporate world of Muvi, but on weekends she likes to take short hiking trips, watch movies and read interesting travelogues.
Reach out to Muvi at:
Add your comment