Detailed Full Review of uScreen: All you need to know (2024)

What is Uscreen?

Uscreen is a VOD platform and OTT all-in-one that helps you host, market, distribute, and sell your videos.

Central data administration helps you manage every aspect of your video streaming business without any coding requirements.

You don't even need third-party tools to distribute and monetize your videos since everything is available in your dashboard.

Here is a list of the features it offers to help you create and develop a streaming business:

• Branded websites and apps - You can customize your website and apps to match your brand by using a theme, adding logos, changing colors, etc. You can also make advanced changes with custom CSS and HTML.
• A central video CMS - The built-in content management system helps you upload, store, organize, and distribute your videos all in one place.
• Video hosting - Uscreen provides free video hosting with all of their payment plans. However, you can add your custom domain if you want.
• Quick launch of applications - The service OTT (Over-the-Top) allows you to distribute your videos to your own mobile and TV applications with an average launch time of 30 to 60 days. There are no development requirements.
• Livestreaming platform - It provides a comprehensive HD live streaming service directly from your admin area or OTT applications. You can even monetize your live streams.
• Video Monetizing provides access to versatile monetization options, including subscription plans, free offers, rentals, or pay-per-view.
• Video marketing - Marketing features like coupons, upsells, lead generation tools, etc. will help you grow your audience and build customer loyalty. You can also offer special discounts and gift cards to attract subscribers and cart abandonments.
• In-depth analyses - You have access to detailed reports and analytics to analyze the performance of videos and authors.
• Community feature - The video platform allows you to create a community around your content in order to engage customers. Respond to comments, manage conversations, and more from your dashboard.
• Information resources - Uscreen offers plenty of resources to help its video creators get up to speed with the platform. They have a blog, a video business school, a podcast, a help center, and a library. You can also refer to their FAQ section.

You don't have to worry about encoding costs or additional bandwidth fees because their payment plans include everything. You can download your video content without worrying about hidden costs.

Features

1. CMS video.

Uscreen allows you to upload, organize, and distribute your videos from a central administration area, which acts as a video content management system.

It has accommodation services embedded videos to host your videos, which you can manage from the CMS.

Start by loading your videos using the bulk uploader. Besides videos, you can also load audio files, documents, documents, images, presentations, and even live streams.

The process is fairly simple.

Simply go to the Content > Videos section of your dashboard and drag your files into the upload area. You can also download videos directly from your Dropbox account.

Uscreen also allows you to “pick up where you left off” if you log out or go to another page.

In any case, you won't lose your download progress.

They also offer fast transcoding and a 100% buffer-free guarantee. However, be sure to use one of supported browsers and limit your download to 13GB at a time for quick results.

After downloading, you have several options to help you optimize your video and customize the look and feel of your video. You can add titles, descriptions, and subtitles to your video and provide a download option for your viewers.

Everything is available in the “Video” section of your administration area.

You can also create playlists, collections, chapters, and even organize your videos to create an entire series.

In addition, it also allows you to control and schedule the availability of your content. You have the option to set a publication date and an expiration date, and the actions you have set will be executed automatically.

The CMS also allows you to:

• Download custom thumbnails.
• Add captions and subtitles.
• Add basic SEO elements like metadata and search tags.
• Synchronizing with Vimeo and Wistia.
• Choose an accompanying video.
• Set custom filters to help your viewers find what they're looking for.

Plus, it has a geoblocking feature that allows you to control access to your video content. You can restrict access to specific videos or even your entire website.

Note that Uscreen doesn't allow you to add other types of content such as assignments and quizzes. For this you will need online course platforms specific.

It is primarily an OTT and VOD platform that allows you to host videos and create video-based membership sites.

Overall, I appreciate the intuitiveness of the whole platform. The sidebar with all the options is always available, so you can manage anything you want with a single click and easily navigate through all the settings.

2. Website builder.

Uscreen also helps you create and customize your own website for your video-on-demand business. You can use the website to host and promote your videos and even engage your audience.

It offers everything you need to create your website quickly, with no development requirements.

You have a visual website builder, pre-designed themes, automatic updates, free web hosting, and more.

Plus, the themes are engaging, responsive, and mobile-optimized. They also come with multiple web pages, such as a home page, payment page, subscription page, and more.

You will see that all of these pages are collectively referred to as your showcase in your CMS.

Once you've selected the theme you like, you can change the look and feel of it however you want.

You can customize text, colors, images, and other branding elements.

Additionally, each theme has a wide range of blocks that include customizable elements like the main banner, text under the banner, etc.

Most themes even allow you to add testimonials or videos to your site. Some even allow social media to be shared directly from the site's home page.

There are even options for previewing your site on desktop and mobile devices (accessible in the top right corner).

Your home page also allows you to customize SEO settings.

You can customize the title, description, URL handle, and SEO tags under:

• Videos
• Video collections
• Live events
• Categories
• Authors

Note that there are no tags available for the Categories and Authors section.

Uscreen also manages other hidden SEO parameters, such as generating open graph meta tags, tagging your web pages for H1 tags, etc.

The only downside is that it's impossible to add or move blocks on pre-established themes. You can only change things like text, colors, colors, title, base images, etc.

If you need to change anything else, you'll need to custom code it in the built-in “code editor”.

Here are other features for customizing your website:

• Define your own custom domain.
• They take care of the web hosting for free.
• Translate your website into the language of your choice.
• A free SSL certificate is integrated into the payment and login page.

3. Branded OTT apps.

Uscreen also allows you to launch your own OTT applications for smart TVs and mobile devices. Your viewers can watch your live streams, videos, series, and collections on these apps no matter where they are.

The apps are compatible with iOS and Android devices.

The platform of video monetization also supports smart TVs like Roku Box, AppleTV, Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV.

Uscreen will take care of the release, maintenance, and regular updates.

You also get total freedom when it comes to brand strategy and the ability to change the look and feel of apps as you want.

Other features of the application are as follows:

• Support for in-app purchases.
• In-app notifications.
• Live broadcast function.
• Offline viewing.
• In-depth analyses.
• The average time to publish is 30 to 60 days.
• Allows you to play audio files when the phone is locked

Additionally, you have the option to launch the app on your Apple Watch, which is a unique feature. This allows viewers to control the player from their wrist while exercising.

Note that branded OTT applications are only available with the custom plan. And you may have to spend an additional amount to get access to this feature.

4. Video marketing tools.

Uscreen offers a comprehensive marketing suite to help you promote your video streaming business. There are different tools for different scenarios, including customer retention, cross-selling, upselling, reducing churn, recovering abandoned carts, and more.

Here's a quick overview of all the marketing tools you can use:

Tool to reduce unsubscriptions.

The Reduce Churn tool is an automated tool that helps you prevent cancellations and increase customer retention.

If a customer attempts to cancel their subscription, they will be asked to provide feedback. This will help you identify the reason why he's cancelling his subscription.

Then, the tool will automatically place the customer in the sequence of offers and winback emails to retain them as a paid subscriber.

Upsell subscription.

Subscription upselling is another marketing tool that helps you increase the lifetime value of your existing customers.

For example, if a customer buys a monthly subscription, the tool will automatically show special discount offers on the annual purchase.

The prospect of special discounts encourages customers to make an annual purchase.

These generous offers not only allow you to increase your revenue, but also to retain your customers.

Leadzen.

Leadzen is an integrated auto-funnel and lead generation tool that helps you turn leads into paying customers.

It allows you to set up automated sequences that help you develop your email list and persuade the customer to make a final purchase.

For starters, it provides optimized and responsive landing page templates and a landing page builder to create landing pages.

The landing page creation tool is also intuitive and easy to use. You can also customize it and see the results simultaneously while making changes. There is also a preview option for desktop computers and mobile devices.

These landing pages will help you grow your email list by attracting visitors and convincing them to share their email addresses with you.

You can do this by adding free gifts, flash sales, etc. to your landing page.

You'll be able to set up automated emails to nurture newly acquired leads. The emails collected are stored in the Leadzen tool, and you can download the list whenever you want. You can also connect Leadzen to any of your membership platforms existing.

Vouchers.

It allows you to create special coupons and discount offers and use them with subscriptions, specific videos, or bundles. You can also set an expiration date and even limit the number of users who can redeem your offers.

These coupons allow you to maintain leads, retain customers, increase revenue, enable upsells, and much more.

Abandoned cart.

This tool helps you capture and keep your near followers coming back. These subscribers abandoned their carts at the last moment - just before checkout.

When activated, it automatically sends emails offering discounts in a last-ditch attempt to remember cart abandonments. This should help you keep them coming back and encourage them to complete their payment process.

You can even choose the type of offer and the amount of the discount - and leave the rest to the automated tool.

The customer will receive a series of automated emails at set intervals. For example, the first email is sent after 15 minutes of cart abandonment, the second email after six hours, and the third and final email after one day.

The most interesting thing is that Uscreen provides email templates that are ready to use. However, you can change the content if you want to change the tone of the email.

Uscreen also provides access to a library of email templates that you can find under Settings > Email Templates.

These templates can be useful when specific situations arise (order confirmation, customer invitation, payment failure, etc.)

And that's not all.

The turnkey VOD platform also allows you to offer gift cards and reinstate free trials to prospects who did not convert the first time. If a potential customer needs more time after the free trial expires, another session can help them make up their mind.

5. Video monetization.

Uscreen gives you great freedom to define your payment structure for your VOD business.

When you upload a video, you can set the pricing on the Content >> Pricing tab.

You have access to all of these monetization models:

• Subscription plans (monthly, annual, and more).
• Allow for a one-time purchase.
• Rental price.
• Lifetime access for a single amount.
• Pay-per-view.
• Free trial periods.

You can also monetize by using two or all of these options simultaneously. Uscreen gives you total monetization freedom - it's up to you to decide how you want to monetize your VOD business.

You can also offer your videos for free if you want by selecting the “Free for all” option when setting your pricing.

Besides versatile monetization options, Uscreen also offers tons of incentives to persuade your viewers to make the final purchase.

For example, it allows you to monetize your live streams by advertising them and charging for access in advance. Built-in elements like timers can also help you get your audience excited and create a sense of urgency.

It is also possible to create special offers and discount coupons to retain customers. And it's all so easy and straightforward since everything is managed in a single admin dashboard.

Finally, they provide a payment flow optimized for conversion that includes in-app sales and ready-to-use checkout pages.

Other monetization-based features include:

• OTT in-app purchases.
• Upselling and cross-selling.
• The ability to track royalties and payments.
• The ability to track the value of the customer's life.
• Integration with “Rewardful” to help you create your own affiliate programs.

6. Payment gateways.

Uscreen offers seamless integration with the three main payment applications: PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net.

It also allows you to accept credit cards, regardless of currency and origin. Uscreen also allows payment in over 130 currencies, which helps you do business in the country of your choice.

If none of these options work, your viewer can also process the payment through the Uscreen payment gateway.

Other features include secure SSL payment, the ability to track your sales, pre-designed payment pages, and more.

7. Analysis and reports from Uscreen

The Uscreen analytics section provides a broad overview of your subscribers' activity, including an overview of their observation time by device.

You can also filter watch time by videos, collections, countries, and devices. The data on the tab is also updated every 24 hours to help keep you up to date.

You'll also be able to find out which videos are working well so you can focus on reproducing them.

The analyses go hand in hand with Uscreen's marketing tools. For example, you can check the statistics and results of your “reduce unsubscribes” automation. You'll be able to identify metrics such as your monthly recurring revenue and saved subscribers.

Managing royalties and payments for your affiliate program is also easy thanks to Authors' analytics. The report uses the behavior of your customers to track the total number of plays and seconds of video play attributed to each author or video content creator.

This will help you distribute payments to affiliates accordingly.

If you want to get all of these statistics and analyses in spreadsheet format, click the Export CSV button to download the reports.

Leadzen - Uscreen's integrated lead generation tool - also provides access to in-depth analytics.

It will give you a clear picture of details such as:

• How many visitors submitted the lead capture form?
• How many prospects opened the welcome email?
• How many prospects visited the contest page? Or the promotion page?

In addition to your marketing and video views, Uscreen also provides reports for your sales activities. You'll be able to see all of your invoices and financial reports in one place.

The video platform provides access to the following sales reports:

• Invoices - To help you manage the financial transactions of your customers.
• Annual Sales Report - Determine how your business is performing each year.
• Monthly Sales Report - Determine how your business is performing each month.
• Coupon Report - See the coupon refund rate over time.
• Payment Report - View payments made by Uscreen and PayPal.

8. Livestreaming with Uscreen.

Uscreen's full HD livestreaming feature can help you provide your audience with an interactive viewing experience. The livestreaming feature also helps you build your community and allows you to broadcast your events on the web, mobile apps, or OTT TV apps.

You can also enable the Live Chat option when setting up your live streaming event. You will find the “Activate Live Chat” option under the Details tab in the Content >> Live Event section.

Live Chat can help you engage and interact with your audience through real-time chat.

You can encourage conversations, respond to comments, and even report inappropriate comments with a single click. You can also remove comments and block users.

Here's how your viewers see your live chat:

You will also be able to see the total number of participants and the number of active viewers.

Setting up a live event is also easy, and you can do it by going to the Content >> Live Event tab. Then, add things like the event title, event start date, full description, information for the pre-registration screen, and more.

You can also use timers and show your signup options in advance to increase urgency and get your user base excited.

Once the live event is open for pre-registration, it will automatically be listed on your video catalog page.

You can also monetize your live events by choosing to include them in your subscription plans, allow a single purchase, offer them as a bundle or via a paywall. You can also offer them for free.

If you plan to host live events on a regular basis, you can add a custom live events page to your website and list all of your upcoming events. An option allows viewers to add your events to their personal calendars.

To increase attendance at your event, you can also set up email notifications and push notifications on apps. Your subscribers will be notified each time you broadcast an event.

Other live streaming features include:

• Your live streams are recorded automatically.
• Make them available on demand just after the event.
• Create engagement with a presales page.
• Adaptive streaming at multiple bitrates for consistent video quality regardless of bandwidth or location.

Note that your live stream won't play on Roku or AppleTV without an OTT app. You can stream your live events to mobile devices with or without an app, but they can't be played on a TV without an app.

9. HTML5 online video player.

Providing a great user experience is just as essential, if not more so, than the back-end of the VOD software.

Uscreen has a built-in HTML5 video player that provides:

• Fast delivery.
• White label experience.
• Full HD video quality.
• ES6 JavaScript player.
• Speed control.
• HLS streaming at multiple rates.
• Support for VTT subtitles and screen readers.

Powered by a leading global CDN, Akamai, the platform also ensures that videos are delivered securely and quickly to your audience. You also don't have to worry about video buffering regardless of region.

10. Integrations.

Uscreen ensures integration with all types of third-party business tools, such as marketing tools, email marketing services, chatbots, affiliate integrations, data analytics software, etc.

You can easily find the native integrations available in the Settings > Integrations tab.

The numerous native integrations eliminate the need to switch to different applications and dashboards.

For example, native integration with third-party payment applications like Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net allows for a seamless payment process.

Other famous Uscreen integrations include MailChimp, Zapier, Constant Contact, Salesforce, Salesforce, Google Sheets, Slack, Google Analytics, etc.

In addition to native integrations, you can connect Uscreen to thousands of applications using the Zapier integration and the Uscreen API.

Pricing

Uscreen offers three payment plans and a 14-day free trial that costs just $1.

Subscription plans include:

• Basic - $49 per month
• Amplify - $399 per month
• Enterprise - Customizable plan, based on a quote

Note that these prices are only applicable to annual subscriptions.

Uscreen prices increase if you go for a monthly plan - the $49/month plan increases to $99/month, and the $399/month plan increases to $499/month.

Also, the first two plans don't provide access to branded OTT applications. If your only goal is to use Uscreen as an OTT platform, you'll need to contact their team to get quotes for the Enterprise plan.

Alternatives to Uscreen.

This review of Uscreen would not be complete without the alternatives of this video hosting platform.

If you're still not sure if this video hosting service is right for you, here are some of its fiercest competitors:

• Vimeo OTT - In addition to allowing you to host and share videos using its secure, ad-free player, Vimeo allows you to create a subscription-based streaming service in order to monetize your content. For $75/month billed annually, you can also stream live streams with questions and answers and live chat.
• Muvi - Similar to Uscreen, Muvi is an all-inclusive video hosting service that allows you to stream video and audio content without any coding experience. Prices start at $399/month with an additional $299/month per OTT application and infrastructure fees.
• Intelivideo - This video-on-demand service is for fitness instructors who want to create a subscription system to share their workout videos. It offers a set of health and fitness features to help monitor and track the performance of your customers.
• Odeum - Unlike most video platforms, Odeum allows users to create a video membership website at no cost to you. You will only pay if you spend more than one hour uploading video to the site. There is also a 10% revenue share and tiered subscription fees.

FAQs

Is Uscreen safe?

Uscreen effectively collects user data and adjusts payment pages to maximize conversions while protecting this sensitive information through PCI-compliant payment processing.

Uscreen creates a secure environment for transactions between customers and the brand by providing an enhanced layer of data protection that cannot be compromised.

Is Uscreen worth it?

Uscreen is a robust video-on-demand platform that allows anyone to monetize their content and create a profitable online business.

The benefits of the video hosting service outweigh the disadvantages for those looking to monetize their content, especially if they are passionate about producing high-quality live videos!

Final opinion

In this review of Uscreen, I've covered all of its key features in detail, as well as pricing plans and pros and cons.

Uscreen is one of the biggest players in the VOD platform space. It's affordable and provides access to marketing tools, multiple video monetization options, website themes, website editor video hosting features, and more for just $49/month.

It also allows you to launch your own branded OTT applications on mobile devices and smart TVs, but at a much higher price.

Overall, it has all the features you need to build a successful video-on-demand and video streaming business. Another positive point is that all functions are available in a central administration area. In addition, the administration area also includes a CMS that allows you to manage your video library.

And you can even access its 14-day free trial if you're still not sure about this video platform. The free trial will allow you to see firsthand whether the Uscreen platform meets your needs or not.