What is a streaming service app?
A streaming service application is a web, mobile, or desktop application that provides users with access to digital content such as movies, television shows, music videos, and/or live events. Streaming service apps may include features for searching and browsing media libraries in order to discover relevant items of interest. They may also offer features for playing media files (such as video or music), viewing metadata about the media (such as actor information on a TV show episode), and sharing selected media items with other users via social networks like Facebook or Twitter.
Streaming service apps have much in common with other media management apps like photo & video editing apps, cloud storage solutions, and music listening apps. Popular streaming services include YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify.
Examples of streaming service apps built with Crowdbotics:
- Commercial live streaming from drones to your smartphones
- Bare-bones media player app that would allow users to stream internet radio from a custom URL. The app is solely for personal use, not monetized or shared with anyone.
- Client wants to build a mechanism for music fans to earn money promoting their favorite artists.
What is the typical cost to build a streaming service app?
A streaming service app usually costs about $37,500 to build. However, the total cost can be as low as $25,000 or as high as $50,000. A streaming service app with a low number of features (also known as a minimum viable product, or MVP) will be more affordable than an app that includes all intended functionality.
For example, here are some previous streaming service app price quotes from Crowdbotics:
How long does it take to build a streaming service app?
A streaming service app usually takes 222 hours to build. However, a streaming service app can be built in as few as 67 hours, or in as many as 667 hours. The exact timeline mostly depends on how complicated your specific app is. As a general rule, it will take longer if you require highly custom designs, niche features, complex logic, or non-standard release platforms.
For example, some previous streaming service apps build with Crowdbotics received the following hourly estimates:
Not seeing what you’re looking for?
Crowdbotics has quoted and built hundreds of applications for teams of all sizes. Browse our historical estimates by industry and app type to understand possible costs and considerations.
How to successfully grow your streaming service application
A streaming service for video games is a type of gaming app that provides on-demand access to games running on the cloud servers of large game companies. These apps grow rapidly by targetting gamers who want to play the newest games without purchasing their own consoles. Streaming services for video games can also increase customer loyalty by providing regular updates about new game releases, as well as by offering special offers from sponsors and partners.
Risks and challenges of building a streaming service application
Streaming apps face the risk that their users will infringe content copyrights. It is important to ensure that you have a robust system for flagging content that is in violation of your terms and conditions or other applicable laws, and to limit the ability of users to share content with each other, particularly if they do not own the rights to distribute it. You should also consider taking proactive measures to monitor user behavior on your platform for potential copyright infringement, and implement a repeat infringer policy if appropriate.
