In the past watching a movie was a very rare entertainment for many people because either they couldn’t find time to go to the theatre and spend there a couple of hours or the nearest theatre was too far away for them. With the arrival of TV in almost all the households, watching movies, major sports events, matches and other international events from the comfort of our homes became a reality.
The introduction of cable TV was indeed a boon for the regular TV viewers. However, the popularity of cable TV was short-lived. The live streaming video app brought a great revolution. Those who were fed up with the frequent commercials during the TV shows had really a sigh of relief – now they are able to get immersed in their favorite programs with no interruptions thanks to the seamless streaming. Now they can enjoy 100% ad-free programs sitting and relaxing in their living room.
However, let us be clear about the fact that the live streaming video app is not exclusively for fun and frolic. Its uses are unlimited. Live streaming app has numerous applications in business, personal purposes, online education and mass communication. The app is widely used to ensure the protection of kids and pets.
The live streaming app enables the users to organize video conferences, live demos and live tutorials for students, special online teaching programs as well as live training classes and many other useful sessions like cooking classes, stitching classes and classes for handicrafts making and many more. With the introduction of the app that enables video streaming, the market became flooded with innumerable apps for live streaming. Statistics reveal that in the year 2016 viewers for live streaming programs were about 80% more compared to the previous year. As a matter of fact, now there are more viewers than blog-readers. Today, the majority of audiences prefer watching videos to reading blogs.
How to create a live streaming video app?
Now app developers are very enthusiastic of creating new live video streaming apps. Before going into the details of creation of the app let us understand more about the different types of live streaming video app. Live streaming video apps are of two different types – Live Broadcasting Apps and Video Streaming Apps. Live streaming video apps are basically for live broadcasting of various programs like music concerts, matches, fashion shows, etc. and these apps enable the viewers to view the programs live. The first type of live streaming video apps, the Live Broadcasting App is provided in real-time to the subscribers of a particular channel only. In these videos the programs are stored only for a limited duration after which the programs will be deleted. In the case of the second type – the Video Streaming App – the app can be played whenever the user wants since the videos are stored in the server in advance. Also, for this type of app the programs are stored for unlimited duration.
The app developing team
Just as in the case of development of any other app, the developing team for the live streaming video app also consists of skilled and experienced professionals. As always, the Project Manager is in charge of the entire project and he will be monitoring all the activities. The task for each member of the team is assigned by the Project Manager. The app developers must have proven track record in both Android and iOS app development. The professional designers who design the UX and UI of the app, the team members who provide the backend and the app testers have significant roles in the project. The success of the project to develop a good quality live streaming video app depends entirely on the efforts put by each member of the app development team.
Basic requirements
Prior to the commencement of the project to develop the live streaming video app, the development team must ensure that the following requirements are met.
- Accessible backend to serve any number of audiences
The number of subscribers for the live streaming video app will increase very fast. Hence the app developing team should ensure to provide the new app with an easily accessible backend so as to provide the service to any number of subscribers.
- Compatible with all video file formats
The newly developed live streaming video app must be supporting all types of file formats so that the users of the app will be able to run their videos with no hassles.
- Provide 100% secured apps
Complaints of pirated videos and plagiarized videos are now very common and the ultimate outcome will be infringement of the copyrights. Hence, it is all the more important for the app developers to ensure adequate security to the newly developed apps.
- Selection of a viable platform
For the development of a new app the selection of a platform is very important. The platform should be appropriate as well as viable. The app designers must have the knowledge of MVP (Minimum Viable Product) so as to carry out the designing process smoothly. In the initial stage the designers have to choose either a native platform or a hybrid platform to build up the app.
The hybrid platform will support different languages like HTML and Java Script. In case the live streaming video app is to be created on a native platform, the developers are first required to choose the Operating System – Android or iOS.
Features of the Live Streaming Video App
The following features are to be created for the newly developed live streaming video app.
- User Registration
User registration is a basic requirement and without getting registered with the app the user will not be able to use the live streaming video app. Different options are to be provided to the user for registering his account. One can register his or her account through email ID or through mobile number by verifying the OTP. Another option is to register through social media websites like Facebook and YouTube. The app must have the provision to recover the password in case the user is unable to recollect the same.
- User Profile
It is very important to collect the personal information about the user. The app developers must ensure the inclusion of a platform where the user can enter his profile including name, phone number, email id, his preferred video genre, subscription list and other particulars.
- Search Box
The search box is an important feature of an app. Using the search box the users can search for a particular video of a particular category. The search category must be sufficiently broad since it will be based on various factors like age, taste and preference, location, language, total views, etc.
The video becomes more popular when it is found that many people have viewed the same. Also those who have already viewed will provide their feedback through their reviews and ratings. Apart from commenting about the content of the video the reviews will reflect the opinion of the viewers the quality of the video and whether the video runs smoothly.
- Sharing with assured privacy
Today the videos go viral instantaneously. As a result of sharing of videos, within minutes the same video is viewed by tens of thousands of people. The videos are shared on various platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram and so on. While sharing the video content the users want to maintain their privacy. Hence the app developers must ensure to provide privacy assured setting for sharing of videos. This will enable the user to select the people with whom he can share the details.
Geo-location tracking is an essential feature for the live streaming video app. This feature enables the user to identify the location of the broadcast. This feature is similar to Facebook Live which enables the user to find out the location of his friend at the moment.
- Payment Gateway
All live streaming videos are not free of charges. The subscribers have to pay money for some particular videos. Hence the app developers are required to include the payment gateway option also in the new app so that the users can easily make online payment when required. For making payments the developers can offer a few options like PayPal, Braintree, credit card and debit card.
Now, apart from creating the various features, the app developers have to pay attention to the server as well as other technical aspects of the app.
Push Notifications
Push Notifications will attract more traffic into the app. By way of sending push notifications the subscribers can be informed regarding the uploading of new videos. The subscribers who prefer that particular category of video will certainly view the video.
Server with larger storage
As already discussed, there are two types of videos – one is for live broadcasting and the other one is for streaming. One cannot store the live videos on the server. The video gets converted by the server and is then transmitted to various subscribers. Hence as the first part of the streaming process the video is converted by the server and subsequently it is made available on the user’s app. Depending on the storage capacity of the server, the video is stored for a limited duration when it is uploaded. When the time is over, the video will be automatically removed. In case the user wants to store more videos he must be provided with larger storage facility. The developers can make use of cloud server in such situations. In fact, the number of users will decide the size of the server.
Stylish design and stunning picture quality
Ensuring the best User Experience and providing the app with an amazing, intuitive and easy-to-use User Interface are two major tasks of the app designers. While watching a video the user must feel comfortable and convenient. The size of the display can be increased or decreased, the resolution can be improved and videos of the best quality are created so that the pictures will be of amazing quality. The app designers can provide an excellent design to the app using wire-framing. When wire-framing is used the app will not go bulky or sluggish.
Cost of Live Video Streaming App
While discussing the various aspects of the app development process it is all the more important to know about the pricing of the app. Those who want to know about the development process will like to have a clear idea of the pricing of the app also. The final cost of the live streaming video app depends on all the components that are required to build a mobile app with all the required features. The approximate minimum cost of the live streaming video app is around USD 12000 and this cost is exclusive of the cost of Server and any third party cost. The server cost is worked out after taking into account the bandwidth of the server and also number of targeted audiences.
Conclusion
Today broadcasting scenario is dominated by the Live Streaming Video Apps. Now the majority of people make use of the live streaming video apps to watch the day-to-day developments in the world and few people sit in front of the TV. These apps are not to be misunderstood as entertainment apps because they provide a lot of valuable information and also help the businessmen to take their business to higher levels. Various fields such as entertainment, education, sports, marketing, etc. are going to be greatly influenced by the live streaming video apps and as a result the demand for this kind of apps is expected to increase drastically in the coming years. The app developers are required to gear up in order to meet the growing demand and also they should concentrate on finding out new techniques that will make the app more innovative so that the users will find them more interesting.
Those who are interested to develop a new Live Streaming Video App for the minimum cost may search and find out a reputed app development company and strike a deal with them.
