➤ 7 best OTT platforms (2024)

Why should we be interested in OTT platforms?

Want to jump straight to my top picks? The best OTT platforms are Uscreen, Setplex and Vplayed.

The way we consume video is undergoing a massive upheaval.

The “cord-cutters” are abandoning traditional cable television. At the same time, 235 million Americans are now consuming digital video starting at more than 820 millionconnected video devices.

The technology that underlies these digital media services is called “OTT platforms” (over-the-top).

Popular services that use OTT technology include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV+, Disney Plus, HBO Now, Peacock, iTunes, and more.

Viewers only need a streaming media device, like a Smart TV, Roku, or game console, to view their content.

And today, any content creator can use an OTT platform to deliver that same visual experience to their audience — and monetize it.

For example, if you are a fitness instructor and you decide to launch a website, you can use an OTT platform to offer on-demand fitness classes for a monthly subscription. If you are a business coach and you sell original content in the form of online courses or events broadcast live, you can use an OTT platform to offer video courses as a monthly subscription.

What is the best OTT platform?

Here's my pick of the best OTT platforms.

1. uScreen.tv.

Best global OTT platform for video monetization ($79 per month)

I personally like Uscreen as a video content monetization platform to use. Whether it's streaming content on demand or streaming content directly to your audience, their all-in-one platform can meet your needs.

Rating: 9.4/10
Best for: Global OTT platform
Price: $79/mo - $159/mo
Yearly discount: Yes - Save 20%

Try Uscreen

Uscreen is the leading OTT platform that launches and manages video streaming applications for television and smartphones. With an average launch time of 30 to 60 days, it is one of the fastest OTT platforms.

From publishing your OTT applications to automatic updates, uScreen.tv takes care of everything.

The monetization of video on demand (VoD) and global live streaming services also make it a great option.

The turnkey video monetization platform offers multiple pricing models, including fixed price, subscription, rentals/PPV, bundles, freemium, and free trials.

In addition, its fast encoding offers a 4K UHD video experience on all platforms and on any type of Internet connection available.

The freedom to personalize your application and align it with your brand is another important feature, which makes Uscreen my video platform preferred for developing your brand with monetizable content.

Take a look at my in-depth review by Uscreen.

And that's not all. It also offers powerful security features, including SSL, secure payment data, 24/7 monitoring, and complete data ownership.

To summarize, here are some of its most sought-after characteristics:

Integrated analytics to track user behavior
Centralized CRM
In-app notifications and purchases
Offline viewing
Average publication time 30-60 days
It allows you to keep 100% of your income

Features

Tool to reduce the unsubscription rate - It reduces your unsubscription rate by up to 35% while increasing customer loyalty.
HTML5 Online Video Player - It is a fully white label HTML5 player that offers buffer-free online video streaming with Full HD quality on all devices.
Customizable VoD templates - Offers custom customizable VoD templates and video website themes to create an amazing online presence and monetize your videos. You can also add a logo and adjust colors to meet your branding needs.

Pricing

Uscreen offers 3 pricing plans:

Basic: $79 per month, billed annually
Growth: 159 dollars per month, billed annually.
Uscreen Plus: Call for a quote

All plans include standard features like global CDN, geoblocking restrictions, 99.9% uptime, unlimited encoding, etc. You also get a free 14-day trial.

Start with Uscreen.

2. Setplex.

All-in-one OTT platform with a full suite of streaming features (based on quotes).

Do you want to present multiple channels and monetize them the way you want? Setplex provides services for IPTV, content owners, government IPTV, and more. If you're looking for a simple, powerful, and affordable solution, I recommend Setplex.

Rating: 8.7/10
Best for: Multipurpose monetization
Price: Contact their team
Annual discount: Get a quote

Setplex is a comprehensive OTT and streaming service provider that offers numerous broadcast channels, a feature-rich web control panel, versatile monetization methods, and more.

Features

OTT distribution - Transcode your satellite broadcast to IP and distribute it on OTT.
Content Management - Group your channels and VOD content into seasons, categories, subcategories, and episodes.
Multiple monetization options - Monetize your OTT content through subscriptions (SVOD), pay-per-view (PPV), rental (TVOD), and advertising (AVOD).

Pricing

Start with Setplex.

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3. VPlayed.

High quality white label OTT solution.

CONTUS vPlayed has all the essentials you'll need to create a pro-OTT streaming platform that offers you over 150 features and over 6 monetization models and protects the integrity of your content, which is priceless.

Your preferred OTT infrastructure is well-supported by the world's most popular CDN networks and the best built-in security protocols.

Additionally, phenomenal video marketing solutions and scalable analytics tools will help you stay at the top of the game.

Features

security - Secure your valuable data within streaming media using rigid protocols such as Multi DRM, AES encryption, video Paywall, Watermarking, etc. ‍
Video CMS - Categorize and manage assets in an all-in-one centralized video CMS platform to bulk upload, drag and drop, schedule videos, and more. ‍
Monetization - Earn high earnings through the best OTT business models like SVOD, TVOD, AVOD, CatchUp TV, Coupons and Promotions, etc.‍
Video marketing - Benefit from an unparalleled online video marketing suite to convert your prospects into potential business through tools such as recommendation engines, social publishing, and more. ‍
HLS reader - Stream videos with 360° compilations in 4K quality, with buffer-free renders in no time and multi-format support in the HLS video player.

Pricing

All plans are subject to a number of customizations and features required as part of niche business models.

Talk to their experts by completing this information request form to get personalized plans and the exact pricing structure.

Get started today with the free vPlayed demo.

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4. Dacast.

An end-to-end SaaS OTT and VoD hosting solution ($39 per month).

Dacast offers OTT VoD and live streaming solutions on numerous platforms and mobile devices. It offers a wide range of options forAccess to the Chinese market, which increases the footprint of your content.

You can also create professional workflows with live stream recording, video transcoding, and a video player for all devices.

The Akamai CDN ensures high quality video streaming. This white label OTT platform also allows you to personalize your service with your brand.

Features

Video hosting in China - DaCast has partnered with CDN services based in China to give you access to over 1.4 billion potential viewers. It offers multiple points of presence (PoPs) in mainland China.
Video hosting manager - It allows you to load, organize, monetize, transcode, analyze, and share your videos. You can also use its APIs to create custom automated workflows.
Stream live sports - Monetize your live sports coverage with subscriptions, ads, or pay-per-view methods. You can also embed your live video stream on a website and save it to offer it as a VoD.

Pricing

Dacast offers 4 pricing plans:

Starter : $39 per month, billed annually.
Event : $63 per month, billed annually.
Scale : $188 per month, billed annually
Custom : High volume plan based on a quotation.

All plans come with features like unlimited live events, ad-free HD streaming, custom tagging, and more.

Try Dacast

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5. Muvi.

Best OTT platform for streaming audio and video.

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Muvi takes a comprehensive approach to OTT video on demand, video hosting, audio hosting, and live OTT streaming. Instead of focusing only on video, Muvi focuses on the full range of multimedia features. So it's the ideal choice if your brand is looking to become a media empire in your niche.

Of all the OTT platforms, Muvi is the one that can really meet all your multimedia needs.

Features

Use your own domain name to host all of your content.
Ability to create a native IOS and Android application.
Smart TV app capabilities.
Accept payments in multiple currencies and integrate with a number of payment gateways.
Take advantage of multiple video monetization methods, such as subscriptions, pay-per-view, and video advertising.

Pricing

Muvi offers 4 price levels.

Standard from $399 per month
Professional from $1,499 per month
Enterprise from $3,900 per month
Ultimate from $8,900 per month

They also offer a “Black” plan that offers an almost unlimited number of items and premium support.

Get started today with Muvi's free 14-day trial.

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6. IBM Watson Media

For businesses looking for a scalable OTT service without budget constraints ($99 per month).

IBM manage, measure and monetize your videos and distribute them on a multitude of platforms. It offers multiple streaming and cloud video services, including GPU storage and computing.

You also benefit from thevideo hosting, live streaming, transcoding, automatic speech-to-text conversion, and powerful analysis tools.

Machine learning capabilities help you increase engagement with viewers. It also monitors metrics in real time to track video performance and make data-driven decisions. Watson Media, which is cloud-based, also offers multiple CDNs to deliver your video content globally on any device.

Here are some of its highlights:

Based on advertising (AVOD) and subscription based (SVOD)
Live and on-demand VoD streaming
Automated video publishing and subtitling
Multi-DRM support and languages
And more

Features

LiveChat and questions and answers - These functions allow you to engage with the audience in real time during a live stream. It offers built-in moderation, user management, and user bottom-up voting.
Personalization and brand strategy - Built-in brand strategy options allow you to customize the channel to suit your video needs. You can also show videos that have already been broadcast live and upcoming events.
Copyright - IBM automatically takes care of any plagiarism or copyright issues. Its copyright enforcement service instantly detects plagiarized content and stops the distribution of that content.

Pricing

IBM Watson Media offers 3 pricing plans:

Silver : $99 per month
Gold : $499 per month
Platinum : $999 per month

You also get a 30-day free trial with a full feature set.

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7. Wowza.

Live streaming for business-critical applications ($125 per month)

The full-service OTT platform of Wowza offers reliable and scalable solutions for all sectors. It is equipped with its own CDNs for reliable distribution of content around the world. It offers fine control over video format, streaming options, and video quality.

You also have access to the patented Wowza software, which is tailor-made for flawless live streaming performance. The scalable modular architecture even allows you to instantly upgrade the live streaming performance of your videos.

Wowza provides industry leading streaming technology, such as:

Cloud streaming service - For broadcasting live events with minimal configuration and integration with numerous custom applications.
Streaming software - For powerful and customizable features.
Live Encoding Solution - It allows you to manage and monitor your video production remotely.
Live streaming expertise - It provides extensive support for everything from integration to application development.

Additionally, Woeza's powerful APIs and SDKs help you build a highly customized video streaming infrastructure. Its on-premise streaming servers allow you to stream live in a secure environment.

Features

VR & 360° streaming - Wowza allows you to stream 360-degree videos in 4K quality around the world for gaming and other uses.
Browser-based live streaming - Its WebRTC allows communication in real time directly from the browser. You can also improve it with the Wowza streaming engine.
Mobile application - Wowza's mobile app helps you start live streaming instantly. It allows you to capture, encode, and stream live video over 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi networks.

Pricing

Wowza offers 2 pricing plans:

Wowza Streaming Cloud : $85 per month (prepaid annually)
Wowza Streaming Engine : $175 per month (prepaid annually)

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8. Kaltura.

Suitable for a flexible and collaborative OTT experience for business purposes (price structure based on demand).

Kaltura offers live and on-demand video SaaS solutions to promote collaboration, training, communication, marketing, and sales. It offers a multitude of video communication tools, including meetings, virtual classrooms, webinars, general meetings, podcasts, and video presentation messages.

With Kaltura, you can also organize virtual meetings with an unlimited number of participants. Its advanced analysis tools for VoD and live streaming help you assess the performance of your videos in real time.

Kaltura also offers an open architecture based on APIs to integrate reliably with any system, including Zoom, Teams, Webex, data systems, marketing automation, and more.

Features

Interactive video - Its interactive tools allow you to create, share, and integrate personalized videos to stimulate learning, engagement, and conversion.
Create podcasts - Easily create, edit, or download podcast episodes and TV channel playlists on your Kaltura video portal. Its mobile application also provides powerful content creation tools to create and directly download a podcast.
Kaltura Pitch - Easily attract attention with “Kaltura Pitch” videos. Upload the video and track all of the viewer's activity, like when they open the video, how they interact with the video, and more. You can use it for a sales pitch, internal communication, or executive message.

Pricing

Whether you are still a startup or a business, contact Kaltura to find out more about their prices. Kaltura also offers a 30-day free trial.

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9. JW Player Live

Effectively launch new applications on mobile and connected TV (price on quotation).

JW Player helps you reach your audience everywhere and launch new applications on mobile and television. Its OTT applications provide scalable solutions for launching and monetizing videos. It also offers powerful advertising support to maximize your CPMs (cost per thousand) across all screens and platforms.

In addition, its recommendation engine delivers the most relevant and interesting content to your viewers in real time. The HTML5 player uses HLS and DASH adaptive streaming for faster video and ad delivery.

You can also provide a completely personalized customer experience by setting up your video player using CSS customization and APIs. Additionally, it allows you to control your brand image by adjusting color, thumbnails, speed, and more.

Features

Mobile SDKs - It adds JW Player functionality to native iOS and Android mobile applications to provide consistent video playback across multiple devices.
OTT apps - It offers turnkey and personalized solutions to launch a scalable OTT application in a few weeks.
Article Matching - Its Article Matching feature automatically inserts the most relevant video from your video content library into any article. She says she can increase the number of plays of your videos by up to 19%.

Pricing

JW Player Live offers 3 pricing plans:

Free : It offers a 30-day free trial.
Starter : $10 per month
Enterprise : Personalized price

JW Player offers customized pricing plans for businesses based on their needs.

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10. Vimeo OTT.

Large-scale subscription service provider for your video content ($1 per subscriber)

Vimeo Livestream is a popular choice for launching your video subscription service.

It also offers convenient customization tools for your branding needs. With Vimeo, you can also live stream your videos at 1080p without a problem. Plus, keep all of your live and on-demand videos in a centralized location and highlight them with the personalization required.

Features

Monetization - It supports the pay-per-view and subscription model to help you monetize your videos.
Video API - Use the Vimeo video API to personalize your video content management system. You can also create a third-party video streaming application using its custom API.
Content delivery - Its internal server network allows for global content delivery and adaptive bitrate streaming.

Pricing

Vimeo offers 3 pricing plans:

Starter (For all the basics of starting your online channel): $1 per subscriber
Growth (suitable for a growing OTT business): $500 per month billed annually
Enterprise (advanced functions to help you develop your OTT business): Plan on quotation

You can try any of the plans for 30 days for free. You can also join Vimeo Basic, which allows you to download HD videos without paying a single cent.

Features to look for in an OTT platform.

With the explosion of high-speed internet and access to cheaper mobile devices, global OTT revenue is expected to exceed $150 billion by 2024. This is a significant opportunity.

However, there are countless OTT platforms to choose from. Here are some basic features you should look for in an OTT platform for reliable video streaming to reduce clutter.

HTML5 video - To enable high-quality, buffer-free video streaming, you need a reliable, tightly coded HTML5 player. It should also be equipped with adaptive bitrate streaming to ensure smooth video rendering on all devices, regardless of Internet bandwidth.
Extensive personalization - To meet your branding needs, ensure that your OTT platform offers extensive customization of its video player and library. For example, you need to be able to change colors and incorporate your own logo.
Live streaming tools - Look for tools like real-time feedback, Q&A, payment, and surveys. These tools will help you produce a more engaging and professional live-streaming event.
Custom SDKs and APIs - SDKs and APIs help you create a highly personalized video streaming platform. They will also help you ensure consistent video playback across multiple applications.
In-depth reports - Ensure that your OTT platform offers a powerful analytics tool to assess video performance and customer engagement in real time. You need options to track the number of views, revenue, and engagement of your videos in real time.
Multilingual support - It is essential to support your content in different local languages. An OTT platform must be equipped with an automatic language identification tool so that subtitles and closed captions are available in multiple languages.
4K support - With the rise of high-resolution devices and 4K TVs, many OTT platforms now offer 4K support. This ensures that viewers will be able to watch your videos in the original resolution.
security - Another good reason to invest in an OTT platform is that it offers data security. Look for encryption and watermarking tools that prevent unauthorized use of your video content. These features will help you protect your IPs and block hackers at all costs.
Cross-platform support - Given the sheer number of mobile devices and smart TVs, it's important that the OTT platform you choose supports all major operating systems and devices. It should also support Chromecast, Airplay, and other native mobile mirroring tools.
Video on demand - OTT platforms with the live video on demand feature allow users to watch videos at any time without any ads. That way, your viewers won't have to wait for the live stream to start watching your videos.
Automatic transcoding - An OTT platform with automatic transcoding ensures that all of your videos are converted to multiple formats and resolutions based on device requirements. This allows you to offer high-quality video playback on various devices effortlessly.

Summary.

That's my list of the best OTT platforms to try this year for your video streaming services.

All platforms offer a few unique features and a few basic capabilities.

But they are all suitable for broadcasting VoD and live events. Carefully consider your needs and determine an appropriate budget. This will help you make a more objective decision.

My final recommendation: if you want the best global OTT platform, Uscreen is clearly your first choice.

Be sure to carefully review all of the platform's features before making your final decision.