Gone are the days when we had to rent movie CDs from studios and return those before the last date to prevent late fees. We live in the ‘Netflix & Chill’ era where children, adults, and the elderly, everyone enjoys watching movies in their leisure time. The quarantine caused a sudden increase in screen time spent by people worldwide.
The entire globe has undergone a digital transformation. We can call this period a digital paradise as we learned to work from home as well as spend leisure hours. The COVID-19 pandemic made us stick to our phones, television, and laptop screens.
I call Netflix, Prime, and other OTT platforms the modern-day cinema. Don’t you think these are much safer, cheaper, and offer more variety than cable televisions? OTT not only includes over the top but also ‘out of the box’ content!
Content on OTT platforms has become the prime source of entertainment. According to a Brightback Report 2021, OTT subscriptions have seen an 86% rise in 2021. Viewers want to subscribe to the same or advanced packages ahead of this.
The above statistics clearly show how OTT platforms have become an integral part of our daily lives. In the shareholder letter of quarter 4 – 2020, Netflix announced their plans to release one original film every week consecutively. This plan was a result of a global shift due to the pandemic and this digitization continues to grow post the pandemic.
OTT platforms came under a highlight of the pandemic when everyone was in a lockdown, away from the near and dear ones. Before we learn how you can earn by launching an OTT white label platform, let’s learn generally what white label clone apps are.
What is a White Label Clone App?
The process of re-creating an already established product or service in the market is called white labeling. A white label app is developed by a fully supported code that can be customized according to the client’s requirements.
Rebranding + Revamping + Reselling = White Labeling
It is obvious that developing a white label OTT solution consumes lesser time in terms of development, bug fixing and quality analysis. Equally, it takes less effort and human labor. Costs are reduced since no in-house developers have to be hired. The selling of a white label clone app takes place under a different company, domain or brand name.
A copy or look-alike of the existing application is a clone app.
Know more: Hulu Business and Revenue Model
Why is it a Smarter & Wiser Choice Today?
Unless there is no information breach on the part of the cloning agency, the process is practically legal. App cloning saves the time and efforts of the developers. All the initial planning and coding are skipped. This also enables quicker launching of the app.
The time saved can be utilized by the developing agency to add additional features. New features that are non-existent or missing in the original app can be added. These extra features will help in attracting users to the new clone app, thereby increasing the number of downloads.
Motto of App Cloning – “Learn, Build & Launch”
App cloning is an agile, dynamic, and modern practice of making an app under a different brand name that offers more features than the original one.
Following is an extensive guide on how to start your own white label Netflix clone app and much more. Let’s dive deeper into the concepts.
Read also: 13 Premier Live Video Streaming Apps for Business
5 Main Benefits of Choosing a White Label Clone App like Netflix Over Developing a Code from Scratch
- Aware of Features – Viewers will get comfortable with your new clone app as they are already aware of the features. Better User interfaces and attractive subscription plans can drive them towards your new clone app.
- Fewer Bugs – Comparatively, a clone app’s code will have fewer bugs than an app coded from scratch. Lesser resources like the developer’s time and energy will be required in bug-fixing.
- Cost – It is no rocket science to understand that the price to be paid will be much lesser than the fees of a developer who codes the app from scratch.
- Team’s Skill Set – Rather than hiring a freelancer, choose an IT firm which has a history of creating clone apps. They supposedly have an expert team of in-house developers who would follow your customization orders in the clone app code.
- Market Competition – You can quickly start a streaming service like Netflix and capture a good share of the market. The innovations in the existing features can enhance the user experience. The hype through word-of-mouth promotion can attract more downloads.
Read also: Build Your Own OTT Platform
How to Choose Netflix Clone App Developer?
Getting the right company to develop your OTT clone app can be a daunting task.
Here are some aspects you should never miss while shortlisting a Netflix clone app development company:
- Previous Work Portfolio – A brief comparison of the original and clone app made by the developing company for their previous clients should be carried out. With this, you will be able to gauge the capability and creativity of the development team.
- Client Testimonials – Client feedback can help you judge whether the company performs according to the promises made. Their negative feedback can act as a warning and compel you to think twice before hiring the company. On the other hand, their positive feedback will definitely help in gaining confidence in the company’s capabilities.
- Bug Fixing – Any bugs reported by users after the market launch should be solved by the developing team.
- After Support – If the hired developing team promises their support for bug-fixing or app crashing, then they are the perfect agency to go ahead with. One cannot imagine the queries or changes that may have to take place in the future hence an after support can be really the need of the hour.
- NDA & Official Contract – It is a safe and smart decision to hire an agency that is ready to sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement for your clone app like Netflix. This way all your data and added app’s ideas can also be safeguarded from leak.
Now you have come across the tips to hire a good Netflix clone app developing team, how about reading the extraordinary features that you must include?
Next-Generation Features to Include while Building Netflix Clone App Development for Users
Exceptional benefits can be gained if the features added to the app are extraordinary. A satisfactory user experience is the primary goal of a mobile application. Any app’s features are designed keeping in mind the user’s ease in accessing. To keep the viewers hooked to your app, the clone app like Netflix should have features as extraordinary as the original Netflix. Take a glance at the must-have features of a VOD platform:
Basic Features:
- Subscription Plan – VOD is a premium paid service. Every individual has a varying affordability capacity. Hence, a customer can select one of the available monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription plans that falls under the budget.
- Search Bar – The optimized search bar in the clone app allows you to look for the available shows. Viewers need not scroll and search, hence can save some time.
- Payment Gateway – In the beginning, your app might not be released out of the geographical territory of your country. But, in future when you grow in the entertainment industry, you may attract viewers from different parts of the world. A clone app makes it possible for your worldwide customers to make a transaction in their respective currency. After payment credit to your account, viewer can start watching.
- Video Player – This feature includes both – online streaming and downloaded video playback. It allows the viewer to watch their favorite content at the click of a button.
- Video Description – A little sneak-peek into what the video is about never hurts. In fact, it helps the viewer to understand better whether he or she is interested in watching the video or not. This space can also have information about the director, actors, available subtitles and audios, year of the video release, etc.
- Push Notifications – The clickable notifications of suggestions, upcoming releases, etc. bring in more visits to the apps.
- Help Center – The help center of the clone app will allow users to get their issues solved. Issues can be anything related to the app, like blank screen, audio-related issues, login credential issues, etc.
Advanced Features:
- Genre Selection – Everyone has a different taste – crime thrillers, rom-coms, action, horror, etc. Viewers can explore all the categories and pick their favorites.
- Register Device Management – Viewers can register up to five devices in a Netflix clone app.
- Streaming Quality – Viewer’s internet connectivity decides the kind of video quality he or she will be able to view the videos in.
- Create Watch-list – While looking for a title to watch, we often find other interesting titles. But, due to a shortage of time, we cannot access all the entertainment at once. In such a scenario, the watchlist feature can be of great help.
- Subtitles & Alternate Audio – It is a must to provide common regional language subtitles and translations for viewers. App owners can attract more audience by adding content that is watchable by different community groups.
- Share Video – Being able to share the video links with friends and family is another feature of the Netflix clone app. Users can share recommendations on other platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
- Password Recovery – We are only humans and retaining information can be a task. We tend to forget things and information like passwords is difficult to remember. This recovery feature helps in resetting the password.
- Recommendations – App algorithm suggests titles based on the previously watched content. This helps the user to watch content that fits his preferred genres better.
Add-Ons:
- Social Media Sharing – A clone app should allow you to sign up or log in via your social media profiles. You can configure the same in multiple phone devices.
- Profile Management – Depending on the plan subscribed, you can login on different devices. One can maintain separate profiles for family members or friends so as to continue watching recommended content.
- Parental Control – Entertaining oneself is important to achieve better focus capacity in a routine. This statement stands true for everyone, be it adults or children. To prevent children from watching content that they shouldn’t be, parents and guardians can activate password-protected parental controls. This will keep the children away from watching certain titles. Also, it is a relief to the concerned parents about their children.
- Video Download – It’s not necessary to stay connected to the internet 24*7. At times, one can be traveling or facing low internet connectivity. In such boredom, the clone app’s video download feature allows the viewer to watch the pre-downloaded content on the device. This can be a perfect rescue to your boredom.
- Payment Methods – A clone app’s gateway should be equipped to accept payments through various sources, viz. Online bank transfers, UPI, PayPal, VISA card, MasterCard, American Express, etc. completely depend on the user’s country.
- User Comments – Users can also give suggestions about any addition to the app. Viewers can give feedback about the app experience. A viewer who has come across any bug while watching can also report the issues.
Read more: Best 14 On-Demand Startup Ideas
3 Ways to Generate Revenue from Starting a White Label OTT Solution
- Subscription Plans for Viewers – Viewers have different budgets and willingness to pay for the video content on the platform. Offering them optional plans like annual, half-yearly, quarterly and monthly basis lets them choose what they are comfortable with. This flexibility can help you to retain a customer.
- Paid Ads – After gaining considerable name in the industry, you can invite various brands to broadcast advertisements on your platform. This can become a generous source of income as a VOD owner.
- Pay Per View – This is a variable income as the viewer might be watching a particular show. The payment frequency is not fixed. It completely depends on the user’s interest.
How can aPurple Help in OTT White Label Clone App?
Using cutting-edge technology to customize your Netflix clone app is what will make your white label OTT platform future ready. The app with the latest security patches will take you a long way.
Leave this cumbersome task to the expert professionals. Hire us and pay only one cumulative cost. This prevents you from four different huge costs:
- Finding and paying salaries to expert employees.
- Investing in high-end devices.
- Purchasing software upgrades.
- Buying the licensed technology stack to develop the app.
Dominate the online entertainment industry with aPurple’s white label OTT (Netflix) clone app solution.
Step into the entertainment industry at this stage when there is an unstoppable interest of viewers in the VOD platforms!
Extra Add-On Features for Add-on Prices – Customization Available
Do you think there is any feature that you can add to your version of the Netflix clone app? If yes, we would be happy to discuss the same. Also, we can build a website with your brand name and logo for your viewers.
FAQs
Q1. Can I scale my app in future after purchasing a clone?
A1. Yes, absolutely you can. In the beginning phase, you might have a smaller audience but as time passes by, you would like to grow too. To capture more share of the market, you would have to make your app compatible and capable to handle that many users and their data. Also, all viewers should be able to access the app with as much ease as before. You will have to scale your app’s source code and upgrade it for the same. Third party agencies like aPurple provide the source code of the clone app to the clients and also provide services to customize it in the future.
Q2. What kind of customization can I expect from a clone app?
A2. A clone app is majorly a look-alike of the original app. Minor changes like the brand name, logo, color or some basic features fall under the minor customization category. In case there are major changes and add-ons in the clone script, then the coding and execution takes place from scratch. It completely depends on the hired agency whether they are ready to customize the clone app as per your requirements. There are very few companies like aPurple which provide customization in clone script and also develop the code for major changes in the app.
Q3. Don’t have the budget to purchase even a clone app, what should I do?
A3. A startup or any other enterprise might or might not have the budget to afford the clone app fees all at once. This does not mean that you don’t get to launch your company’s app for your online customers. Some development companies provide milestone services. This means you can make installment payments within 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. aPurple is one of those agencies that provides milestone facility up to 12 months, feel free to reach out to the team and discuss your requirements.
Q4. Can I get source code after purchasing a Netflix clone?
A4. Yes, 90% third party agencies who develop clone apps provide their clients with the complete source code. This is something to be clarified and added to the terms of the contract. You should ensure that the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) mentions that the agency provides the complete source code to the client. A very few companies like aPurple provide the entire code to their clients at the end of the project as per the agreement in the contract.
Q5. Why should a startup launch a clone app?
A5. There are three reasons for a startup to launch a clone app – a startup lacks experience, starts with a small budget and cannot afford to take big risks. In such a scenario, the safest option for a startup is to begin with a ready to use app. This way it won’t have to spend time, money and efforts on coding an app and fixing loads of bugs. A glitch-free user experience will definitely create and increase the customer base of your app. A startup can gain a lot by launching a clone app for their business customers.