
// Development
How to Make a Live Video Streaming Website like Twitch or Netflix
// Development
What do you choose: read a book or watch a movie? Most will prefer the second option, because it’s more familiar to the brain, which means it’s more pleasant (90% of the data entering the brain is visual information). Due to this feature, most of the Internet traffic falls on sites such as YouTube, Netflix, Twitch and Amazon Prime. Below we will tell you how to use this trend by creating your website for live video streaming and monetizing it.
Netflix. An American entertainment web service that delivers movies and TV shows based on streaming media. The main feature of the site is the ability to view the entire season of the series, while other services show one series per day or week. Surveys show that due to this, 60% of users stay on the Netflix website much longer, watching two or more episodes in one session, many browsing all season at once.
Other Netflix Features:
In addition, it is worth noting that Netflix finances the filming of films and TV shows, many of which are very niche projects which development would never have paid off on the big screen and TV. Often, Netflix buys franchises that other companies have abandoned. The service does this in order to expand the audience and diversify the content (for which many fans are very grateful to Netflix).
YouTube. The service has been operating since 2005, the ability to conduct live broadcasts appeared in 2011. The main feature of the site is free access to all functions, including the ability to monetize content. Thanks to this, YouTube has become the most popular platform for streaming video games, television and radio programs (podcasts), shows, lectures and chatting with other people.
Other YouTube Features:
The conditions for accessing content through online streaming on YouTube depend on its type. If these are the usual broadcasts of bloggers, video games, lectures, etc., then the content is free, but with advertising inserts. If these are films and series, then, most likely, for access to them you need to pay a fixed amount. Old movies and TV shows are free.
Twitch. Service for free viewing and streaming video games with the ability to monetize content, communicate with viewers, a subscription system and more. The site is popular among fans of network games (LoL, Dota, Counter-Strike, Fortnite) and MMORG. In recent years, Twitch has also started using video bloggers to chat with fans, ASMR broadcasts, and watch movies and TV shows together.
Twitch Service Features:
Cloud Gaming. In addition to these sites, it is also worth noting such streaming services as Vortex, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Shadow, Parsec and the future Google Stadia. These are platforms for cloud gaming, which, in addition to streaming games, also take care of the processing of all graphic processes, transferring the load from your PC, set-top box or smartphone to cloud data centers.
If we analyze the aforementioned streaming services and their analogues, then we can note that they work according to one of two business models:
Paid subscription for all content. Visitors must pay a certain amount once a month or a year in order to be able to publish / stream their content or watch videos of other users. This business model was chosen by Netflix, Hulu and the future Google Stadia. Moreover, a subscription usually has several tariff plans, depending on the quantity and quality of content.
Free content with ads and premium features. This business model can have two varieties:
Instead, it’s better to create an application for your PC and smartphone, where ad blockers do not work. YouTube did just that by launching the mobile app, and Twitch by creating apps for the phone and PC.
Universal functions. Tools that all users will use (video content providers, viewers, administration), regardless of their needs and rights to content (management, processing, deletion).
Universal things include:
Custom thread. A simple diagram showing the steps that a user must follow on your site to perform an action. This chart helps designers evaluate and optimize user flow.