What’s the deal with best OTT platforms? OTT is short for “over-the-top.” It’s an alternative media distribution option to regular satellite or cable television. For video creators, it lends an opportunity to monetize their video content. It also helps businesses target audience segments and generate revenue.
Typically, the best OTT platforms offer infrastructure that keeps costs down while, at the same time, being efficient. There are OTT platforms with a wide range of price points, but you want to look for one with consistent pricing and low bandwidth costs.
As with all software, the key to selecting the right one for you is knowing what features you need from your OTT platform.
Here’s what you should keep in mind while picking the ideal tool for you:
- Content delivery that covers video on demand (VOD), video hosting and/or live streaming
- Video API that’s compatible with your content management system
- A video player that’s responsive and works with all devices
- High quality playback without buffering
- HD encoding for high quality video display
- Global content delivery network that’s reliable
- Monetization model that covers ad inserts, pay-per-view, and subscriptions so you can choose the model that’s suitable for you
- Marketing tools for free giveaways and other funnel structures
- Reliable security tools
- White-label streaming
- Integrations and add-ons to meet specific needs
Best OTT platforms in 2023
Uscreen
💸 Pricing:
Uscreen has three plans – Basic at $99/mo + $0.50/subscriber/mo and Amplify at $499/mo + $0.50/subscriber/mo. In addition, there are customized Enterprise level plans.
🧰 Key features:
- All plans allow you to upload video and audio.
- Allows you to set your own language and branding
- Bandwidth and storage are included
- Live streaming feature included in the higher plans
- High quality
- feature-rich player
- HLS video encryption and simultaneous login sharing protection
- Built-in monetization and billing
- Sell one-time offers, rentals and multi-tier subscriptions
- Built-in CMS
- Unlimited video streaming and bandwidth
💸 Pricing:
Besides custom plans for which you can request a quote, there are two plans – Starter and Growth. Starter comes at $1/mo/subscriber and Growth at $500/mo, billed annually.
🧰 Key features:
- Beam flawless live or on demand video
- Time windowing to schedule video availability
- Branded apps with in-app purchase
- Organize your videos into groups and playlists
- Best viewing experience on any app
- Scales fast to keep up with your business
- Subscriptions, transactions, advertising and registration as monetization options
- Seamless migration of content, data and customers
- Full control over your subscribers data and brand
- Go global in every market, language and currency
💸 Pricing:
Plans are pegged at $39, $63 and $188/mo, billed annually. All plans have a free trial and 24×7 support.
🧰 Key features:
- Suitable for events, business, organizations and entertainment
- All-in-one streaming solutions
- High quality live streaming with top tier CDNs
- Secure video hosting with 24 x 7 support
- All-device HTML5 player for wider audience reach
- APIs that allow integration of live video and VOD
- Pre, mid and post roll advertising
- Full 1080p HD broadcasting
- Unlimited channels and advanced library management
- Live countdown and unlimited concurrent viewers
💸 Pricing:
IBM has Silver, Gold and Platinum Plans that start at $99, $499 and $999/mo, suitable for different business sizes.
🧰 Key features:
- Handles OTT video delivery and live TV programming
- Reliable infrastructure for worldwide OTT content delivery
- Live polling and clickable video overlays
- Channel customization and password protection
- Video embed control
- HD transcoding across various bandwidth connection speeds
- Develop OTT viewing experience that matches your brand using customization and APIs
- Powerful content delivery and video analytics
- Auto archiving
- On demand captioning and AI driven search
💸 Pricing:
JW Player offers a 30 day free trial that includes almost all features. However, the Starter plan that begins at $10/mo offers limited features. For specific video needs, you’ll need to get a custom quote.
🧰 Key features:
- Fastest startup and highest quality playback that eliminates buffering
- Multi bitrate HD encoding and password protected sharing
- Allows self hosting the player library for ultimate control
- Video gallery and video recommendation engine
- Live event streaming
- Supports new industry ad formats
- Load a player at any point on the web page
- Easily share your videos on YouTube and Facebook
- 150GB of media hosting, 500GB streaming
- Integrates with most other OTT platforms
💸 Pricing:
There’s a 30-day free trial for any plan. Four plans are available – Seed ($24.99/mo), Sprout ($59.99/mo), Tree ($199.99/mo) and Forest ($499.99/mo). All plans include core platform features, analytics and email/live chat support.
🧰 Key features:
- Multiple video players that you can brand
- Automatic bandwidth detection and quality adjustment
- Optional social sharing and embed code sharing player controls
- Embed codes work smoothly with platforms like WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace
- Supports HTML5, and every modern device and browser
- Supports video in HD and UltraHD for stunning video display
- Supports almost every type of video files
- Security via password protection, login protection and single sign-on
- Restrict video access with non shareable embeds, private videos and URL based, IP or geography based access
- Capture leads and boost campaign performance
💸 Pricing:
Besides a top level premium plan, there are four entry plans – Standard, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate pegged at $399 + $299/app, $1499 + $499/app, $3900 + $499/app and $8900 + $499/app respectively. The rates are monthly with a discount of 15% on annual payment and 10% on half yearly payment.
🧰 Key features:
- All inclusive, fully managed, end-to-end platform
- Allows audio and music streaming
- Live stream sports, events and news to any device
- Video solution includes player, website, CMS, billing, mobile and TV apps
- Launch live broadcast radio channel instantly
- Social media integration, ratings and comments
- Supports user-generated content
- Built-in CDN
- Built-in monetization – coupons, subscriptions, pay-per-view and video advertising
- Built-in 500+ features
💸 Pricing:
Purchase either the software or services. Software starts at $125/mo billed annually, Services start at $85/mo billed annually.
🧰 Key features:
- The software is ideal for self-managed infrastructure, customized streaming solutions
- The services are ideal for live event streaming or deploying quickly on a managed infrastructure
- Live streaming encoders with cloud control (Wowza ClearCaster)
- Customized configuration, real-time monitoring
- Simplified streaming, streamlined user interface
- Fine grained control over format, video quality and delivery options
- Software supports latest industry standards
- APIs and native media player options
- HD and UHD broadcasting with no caps on bitrate or resolution
- Stream multiple events simultaneously or deliver to multiple destinations
💸 Pricing:
Flexible pricing packages that offer a 30-day free trial. Pricing is based on the number of users.
🧰 Key features:
- and the setup costs are included in the package. Three types of packages are available – Learning & Development, Communication & Collaboration, and Marketing & Sales. Prices are as per your customized package.
- Suitable video platform for collaborative projects
- Unique branded virtual events for audience of any size
- APIs and SDKs for developers creating live, real-time and VOD experiences
- Creating, transcoding, managing and publishing of video content
- Education covers virtual classrooms, LMS video, lecture capture and campus portal
- Video cloud platform designed for unlimited scale
- Conduct meetings and webinars
- HTML5 player, interactive video tools
- Personalized video messaging, social business integrations
- Marketing automation video extensions
💸 Pricing:
Yondo offers three paid plans – Premium ($349/mo), Professional ($139/mo) and Starter ($69/mo) when paid annually. There’s also a 14-day free trial.
🧰 Key features:
- All plans offer live 1-to-1 video sessions and live online group sessions
- Features include VOD, webinars, playlists and recordings
- Unlimited file and video storage
- Unlimited listings and booking calendar
- Your own branding – including branded emails to clients
- Discount code engine
- Self packaged listening
- Integrations with your website using plugins or custom templates
- Pre-built online stores and platforms suitable for your industry
- Integrations and add-ons available
