Build a Video Streaming App Like OSN+ : Step-by-Step Guide

Most people love watching content on their smartphones and smart TVs. With video streaming apps dominating the scene, people no longer have to wait to watch their favorite shows or movies. Just a single click, they have local and international video content on their TV screen. In the early 2000s, YouTube was the most popular video streaming platform, but then came Netflix. It took streaming to a new level, with a wide range of content plus personalized recommendations in reasonably-priced packages.

Another popular name in the world of video streaming is OSN Plus, which gained popularity for delivering exclusive content from NBC/Universal, HBO, alongside local content. The success of OSN Plus has encouraged many companies to follow in its footsteps. That said, developing a video streaming app like OSN Plus is not easy. Video streaming app development involves many complications, such as adding advanced features, ensuring regulatory compliance, plus focusing on monetization and security. 

Any company wanting to develop a video streaming app like OSN Plus must have a proper strategy before embarking on video streaming app development. This includes identifying the target audience and tech stack, plus developing operational, regulatory, and other strategies. In this blog, we will discuss how to develop a video streaming app like OSN Plus, including costs, challenges, and more. Let’s get started.

Why Develop a Video Streaming App Like OSN+ (OSN Plus)?

The reason is simple. OSN Plus is a popular and successful video streaming app, and others want to imitate its success. From cable TV to online video streaming, we have come a long way. The value of the video streaming market exceeded $811.37 billion in 2024. This figure is expected to hit $2,660.08 billion by 2032.

India, Africa, and the Middle East are emerging markets for video app streaming. Multiple monetization models create opportunities for streaming app companies to earn steady revenue. Besides providing users with a convenient way to watch content, streaming app companies get full control over distribution. With unique content such as shows or movies, a video streaming app can differentiate itself from its rivals.

Last but not least, data is gold. With robust user insights related to content preferences, watch time, frequency, and more, companies can create better content and offer personalized recommendations. Ultimately, it will help them grab a larger market share and become more profitable.

Costs to Build a Video Streaming App like OSN+ (OSN PLUS)

Determining the cost to develop a video streaming app hinges on several factors. These factors include app complexity, unique features, platform choice, security needs, expertise, and location of the development team, and more. Let’s get into the cost of developing a video streaming app with basic features. It would cost around $30,000 to $40,000.  Below are some of the factors affecting the cost to develop a video streaming app like OSN+ (OSN Plus).

1) App Complexity

The more complex the app, the higher the costs. There is no two ways about it. When companies embark on an ambitious project like developing a video streaming app like OSN Plus, they have to be prepared to put in more work, devote more time, and hire the right professionals. A basic video streaming app doesn’t require much work, but for a complex app like OSN Plus, a company needs to add features like personalized recommendations, advanced search filters, payment gateway integrations, and more. In addition to development, testing, and UI/UX design, it significantly increases the costs.

Complex apps demand more backend development. The streaming company invests in expensive infrastructure consisting of cloud servers, CMS, cloud storage, CDN, API development, and more. Ensuring top-notch security for different subscription models and providing multiple platform support further increases development costs.

Overall, coding is just one part of the app development process. Different layers, such as advanced features, scalability, and security, each of which increases app complexity, which in turn escalates development costs. Each aspect affects the overall feel, navigation, usability, and user experience. Video streaming app companies must be ready to overcome these challenges and incur costs to create an app that makes users come back for more. Below are app development costs based on complexity.

MVP Product

• Estimated Costs - $15,000 - $60,000
• Key Features - Single platform, basic streaming, and authorization.

Medium-Complexity App

• Estimated Costs - $60,000 - $200,000
• Key Features - Multi-platform, user profiles, recommendations, and DRM/encoding.

Advanced App

• Estimated Costs - $200,000 - $1.5M+
• Key Features - Multi-device, large catalog, CDN, licensing, heavy infrastructure, and ops.

Basic app development calculators may help arrive at the estimated costs to deliver video streaming apps, but it is advisable to consult a professional app development company for the same. Note that the above figures are just to give you a brief idea.

2) Platform and Device Support

A video streaming app like OSN Plus must be released on different platforms to expand its user base. If you want more people to download your app and watch your content, you need to grab a larger market share. Creating an Android app alone reduces the chances of it reaching a wider audience. Hence, video streaming apps like OSN Plus must be compatible with multiple platforms and devices. That said, this increases app development costs due to different design rules, tech stack, and testing requirements.

For a video streaming app to support multiple devices and platforms, developers have to put in additional effort to ensure world-class functionality and aesthetics. Even after app development, the app would require additional work related to testing, device performance optimization, OS, and hardware. On top of that, every user profile must work smoothly and be able to access the app’s features and functionalities. Clear video with subtitles in sync is also a must.

Device optimization, testing, fixing errors, and synchronization place additional burden on all teams, increasing the overall costs. Maintenance is a hidden cost that creeps up and adds to the costs. Even a small change, such as an OS update or a new feature, would mean teams would have to make some modifications and ongoing maintenance until the app remains operational. To summarize, supporting multiple platforms and apps for a complex app like OSN Plus is not an easy task. Companies must be ready to devote time, money, and resources in the long run.

Below are the estimated platform and device support-related costs for an app like OSN Plus.

iOS App Store

• Estimated Costs - $99/year
• Includes app developer program fees; 15 to 30% commissions apply.

Android (Google Play)

• Estimated Costs - One-time costs of $25.
• Includes console developer registration.

Amazon Fire TV/Appstore

• Estimated Costs - Free
• Developer registration is free, and publishing via the Amazon Console.

Samsung Tizen & LG webOS

• Estimated Costs - Free (account)
• Certification steps required; integration effort may vary.

Roku

• Estimated Costs - Free (account)
• Channel must pass certification (QA/time cost).

Device Testing/Device Farm

• $0.17 / device-minute or ~$250 / device-slot / month.
• AWS Device Farm and similar services for testing.

OTT Pre-cert Testing & Support

• Estimated Costs - $500 - $2,000 per platform.
• Third-party QA/certification for Smart TV and consoles.

The above platform-specific costs are just to give readers a brief idea. It is advisable to consult a reputed app development company for guidance.

3) Streaming Infrastructure

Building a video streaming app is not enough. The greatest challenge for streaming app companies is to ensure that users can watch videos without having to wait ages for their content to load. Sitting and gazing at the screen while the video buffers is not fun.

Internet connections are not the same worldwide, and speeds may vary greatly. To counter this problem, companies must invest in robust infrastructure where videos lie in the cloud, converted into different resolutions and delivered using a CDN. Basic cloud storage and streaming infrastructure are affordable, but they won’t be able to deliver the same level of user experience as Netflix or OSN Plus.

The solution lies in partnering with cloud platform companies that ensure faster delivery, reduced buffering, and improved video quality. Premium cloud platforms will cost extra, owing to their higher licensing and bandwidth expenses, but they will keep users happy. Streaming expenditure constitutes one of the biggest chunks of video streaming app development costs.

Below are the estimated streaming infrastructure costs for a video streaming app like OSN Plus.

• CDN Delivery - $2 - $68 per TB, depending on the provider tier and strategy.
• Cloud Hosting - $10,000 - $50,000 per year.
• Encoding/Transcoding - $15,000 - $50,000 per year.
• AI/Analytics/DRM/ABR - $20,000 to $120,000 per segment. These costs could reach $200,000 in some cases.

Note that the above streaming infrastructure-related costs are just to give readers a brief idea. Companies should consider teaming up with reputed app development developers in the UAE for proper implementation and guidance.

4) Core Features

When companies add more advanced features to a video streaming app, it does increase the costs. The more complex the features, the higher the costs. For example, a basic video streaming app has features such as user profiles and multi-device compatibility. These features may not cost a lot to develop, but the moment they add features such as parental controls, offline downloads, and AI-driven personalization, the costs can go sky high.

Other features added to the app’s complexity include multi-language support, payment integration, extensive coding, and more infrastructure. These features also increase the overall video streaming app development costs. Developers have to put in more work, while servers have to handle the additional burden. In short, advanced and complex features can raise costs considerably.

Below are some of the core feature-related costs, especially for an app like OSN Plus.

• Basic User Features and Profiles - $3,000 - $15,000.
• Discovery and Personalization - $20,000 - $100,000.
• Live Streaming - $50,000 - $250,000.
• VOD and Media Player - $38,000 - $132,000.
• Offline Downloads - $5,000 - $12,000.
• Multi-Language Support - $3,000 - $15,000.
• Subscription/Payment Systems - $5,000 - $20,000.
• Backend & Streaming Infrastructure - $80,000 - $250,000.
• CDN, Coding and Security - $20,000 - $60,000.
• Parental Controls & Profiles - $10,000 - $25,000.

The above core feature development cost for an advanced video streaming app is just to give readers a brief idea. Hire app developers if you don’t have an in-house team for video streaming app development.

5) Content Licensing and DRM

Apart from the infrastructure and tech stack, content is one factor that can hike costs. Whether it's buying licenses from big-shot film houses, studios, or content owners or creating unique content, it costs a lot of money. Everyone knows that buying content/video rights can cost thousands to millions of dollars. Sometimes, content and licensing rights-related costs can exceed the overall app development costs.

In addition to buying content rights, protecting them requires money too. DRM, or digital rights management, helps protect such content. For example, companies like Google and Microsoft provide tailored DRM systems to companies. With these DRM systems, companies can protect licensed content from piracy and illegal sharing. Having said that, DRM systems demand extra development efforts, multi-device integration, and ongoing expenses (licensing and certification).

In a nutshell, DRM and licensing costs can exceed coding and app launch costs. Note that a video streaming app can be built on a limited budget, but licensing/DRM costs can be hard on the pocket. Below are some of the estimated content licensing and DRM costs for an app like OSN Plus.

• Content Licensing - These costs can range from $100,000 to $1,000,000+ or more. The costs may vary, depending on the content type, studio deals, uniqueness, and other factors.
• DRM and Security - Costs around $10,000 and $50,000.

The above content licensing and DRM costs are just to give readers a brief idea. App development companies not only build an app but also guide companies on how to plan, implement, and maintain an app. Consider partnering with a reputable app development company for the best results.

6) UI/UX Design

Companies that opt for basic UI/UX design generally use ready-to-use templates, buttons, layouts, and elements. Yes, simplicity and budget-friendliness do the job, but this approach is not enough to create a look and feel similar to a premium app like OSN Plus. However, specialized video streaming apps like Roku and OSN Plus use top-notch UI/UX. Such UI/UX includes custom-built animations, breathtaking visual elements, and designs that are compatible with multiple devices.

User experience and design matter more in a complex app like OSN Plus. This is because of the following reasons.

• Different content genres and languages
• Content navigation and personalization
• Smooth onboarding
• Seamless payments
• Gamification and rewards
• Smart caching and preloading

It does not require rocket science to conclude that ensuring a perfect mix of usability and aesthetics is tough for companies. Smart search and personalized home pages can solve this problem, but there is a catch. These creative elements and hyper-personalization can improve user experience, but they also bump up the costs.

Below are the estimated UI/UX design costs for an app like OSN Plus.

Basic UI/UX

• Estimated Costs - $5,000 - $40,000.
• Includes standard layouts and prebuilt components.

Hybrid/Mid-Level

• Estimated Costs - $50,000 - $100,000.
• Factors affecting costs include custom branding, animations, and personalization.

Premium/Enterprise

• Estimated Costs - $120,000 - $300,000.
• Factors influencing costs include custom UX/UI, multi-device compatibility, and refined designs.

Depending on the desired UI/UX experience a company wants to achieve, it can include the appropriate elements and features. Researching the target audience, understanding user expectations, and keeping a watch on the latest trends can help. Consult a reputed app development company to know more.

7) Tech Stack

The choice of tech stack plays a major role in deciding the costs to develop a video streaming app like OSN+ (OSN Plus). Let’s say a company wants to choose native app development. In such cases, they use Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android, ensuring ease of use and enhanced performance. But the equation changes when developers have to create separate Android and iOS versions of these apps. It requires companies to spend more money, time, and hire dedicated developers.

Nevertheless, a company whose objective is to keep development costs to a minimum will choose cross-platform app development. With cross-platform app development, developers use tools like Flutter or React Native to write code that works on all platforms. Even if this approach saves money, it has its limitations. It forces users to compromise on performance and usability. Advanced features like high-quality streaming and device integrations force developers to step in and fine-tune things.

In addition to the frontend, the backend setup also increases costs to develop a video streaming app. With complex video streaming apps, companies will have to think about many aspects, including the following-

• Scalability With Microservices - Splits up the app’s backend into smaller components to meet increased business demands, such as scaling and managing the user base.
• APIs - Enables systems, apps, and software to communicate and share information.
• Real-Time Analytics - Track user behavior, including watch time and where they pause or stop watching. These insights can help companies improve their services.

So, if the objective is to build an intuitive app that provides personalized recommendations, companies use advanced technologies like AI and machine learning. Of course, users will love the personalization, but data handling, hiring niche developers, and extra computing power drive up development costs. Apps must be developed while embracing trends and cutting-edge tech in this era, but again, it increases costs. Below are the tech stack-related costs to develop a video streaming app like OSN Plus.

Frontend (Mobile and TV Apps)

• Native Development - $80,000 - $150,000
• Cross-Platform Development (Flutter and React Native) - $50,000 - $100,000.
• Smart TV / Web Apps (React, Angular, Next.js) - $40,000 - $80,000.

Backend Infrastructure

• Core Backend (Node.js, Java, Go, .NET) - $60,000 - $120,000.
• Microservices and APIs - $30,000 - $60,000.
• Database and Storage (SQL/NoSQL and CDN) - $20,000 - $50,000 setup plus $5,000 to $30,000/month.

Video Streaming and Delivery

• Video encoding and DRM - $30,000 to $70,000 setup plus $0.02 - $0.10/GB streamed.
• CDN - $5,000 - $25,000/month.

AI/ML and Personalization

• Recommendation Engine (ML models) - $40,000 - $100,000 plus $5,000 to $15,000/month.
• Real-Time Analytics - $30,000 - $70,000.

DevOps, Security, and QA

• CI/CD Pipelines - $10,000 - $25,000.
• Security and Compliance (DRM, GDPR, and payments) - $20,000 - $50,000.
• Testing (Unit, UI, and Stress) - $15,000 - $40,000.

8 ) Maintenance and Scalability

Developing a video streaming app like OSN Plus is only half the job done. After developing the app, companies must ensure that it runs smoothly without crashing and stays ahead of the curve. Continuous maintenance is of utmost importance. Below are some of the aspects that maintenance covers.

• Server Hosting and Cloud Services - Ensures that the app’s backend, databases, and video content remain accessible to users.
• Content Delivery Network - Enables video to play quickly and smoothly on diverse devices around the world.
• Performance Optimization - Resolving app crashes, bugs, or performance issues that users generally face.
• Security Updates - Protect users’ personal data, payment details, and content from online threats.
• Feature Enhancements - Adding new app features to enhance user experience.

Suppose a company decides to scale the app. In that case, the costs would be even higher because companies would have to invest in the necessary infrastructure to handle millions of users without impacting performance. Infrastructure for a video streaming app includes cloud systems, load balancing, robust databases, and advanced video compression technologies. Maintenance and scalability costs will remain constant (after the app is ready) because companies will have to upgrade the app to stay relevant and satisfy users.

Maintenance and scalability costs can vary. For a medium-complexity app, these costs are around $50,000 to $120,000, while large-scale apps may have to incur $200,000 to $500,000 in maintenance and scalability costs. The geographical location also matters a lot. Hence, it is advisable to consult a top app development company for an accurate estimate.

10 Steps to Build an App like OSN Plus

Developing an advanced app like OSN Plus is complicated, but following simple steps can streamline the process and ensure success. Below are the steps to build a video streaming app like OSN Plus.

• Finalize Features - Decide the features you want to include in the app.
• Conduct Market Research - Research the target audience, rival companies, and the best monetization models for the app.
• Choose Tech Stack - Choose the right platforms and technologies for the specific project.
• UI/UX Design - Plan UI/UX design by creating simple layouts and simple flows, enabling users to find the content they want to watch.
• Build Backend Infrastructure - Set up servers, APIs, databases, and CDN to ensure smooth storage, streaming, and content delivery.
• Video Player and Streaming Engine - The video player must automatically adjust to the user’s internet speed and facilitate offline downloads.
• Integrate Authentication & Payments - Add features such as sign-ups-logins, subscriptions, and integrate payment gateways.
• Content Management Systems - Use a CMS that makes it easy to manage content such as documentaries, web series, shows, and movies.
• Testing and Quality Assurance - Check for security and performance issues while ensuring users can stream content without any problems.
• Launch and Optimize - Release the final product with minimal features. Gather user feedback and make changes if required.

Are you interested in developing a tailored video streaming app like OSN Plus? Partner with a leading video streaming app development company in your area.

10 Advanced Features to Have in a Video Streaming App

A simple video streaming app will do the bare minimum, but it won’t gain user appreciation and loyalty. Only premium features that stand out from the competition will hit the jackpot. Below are some of the features video streaming apps must have to stand out.

• AI-Driven Recommendations - Personalized AI-powered recommendations for users based on past behavior.
• Adaptive bitrate streaming - Ensure seamless playback that matches the user's internet speed.
• Multi-Platform Support - App works smoothly across mobiles, TV, and other devices.
• Offline Downloads - Allows users to watch content without an internet connection.
• Multi-Language Support & Subtitles - Reaches more people with dubbed audio and closed captions.
• User Profiles and Parental Controls - Bespoke experiences for users and safety filters for children.
• Social Integration - Share, chat, and allow users to watch content together in real-time.
• Smart Search - Enables users to find content easily using AI and voice-powered searches.
• Monetization Models - Subscription plans and pay-per-view options.
• Analytics Dashboard - Delivers potent insights for users and platform owners.

Want to develop a cutting-edge video streaming app to conquer the market? Hire dedicated developers for the project based on project requirements.

8 Top Challenges for Video Streaming App Development

1) High Development Costs

Start with an MVP product. Add more features after getting user feedback. Use cloud services to reduce costs without investing in costly infrastructure.

2) Scalability Issues

Leverage scalable cloud hosting and CDNs to handle increased user traffic.

3) Video Quality and Buffering

Implement adaptive bitrate streaming, meaning the video quality should match the user’s internet speed. Also, use CDNs to ensure faster delivery.

4) Data Security and Privacy

Solve this issue by using DRM, secure payment gateways, and robust encryption.

5) Content Licensing

Begin with affordable content first and buy rights to content that would work in specific locations.

6) Cross-Platform Compatibility

Use cross-platform frameworks and test the app on multiple devices to ensure smooth working.

7) Personalization

Provide tailored recommendations to users by integrating AI/ML in apps.

8) User Retention

Retain users by offering tailored content, ensuring smooth navigation, and rewards.

Wrap Up

The world is already witnessing the rise of video streaming apps. Many companies want to grab the opportunity and become successful. However, they must not get carried away and enter this domain without a proper plan. The trick is to invest in the right infrastructure, hire app developers with sufficient knowledge and experience, and others to build a strong team. Being ambitious is great, but blind betting is not advisable. Start with an MVP product and add advanced features after the app gains users.

Sure, scaling a video streaming app is beneficial, but it depends on the company’s goals, scalability infrastructure, budget, expected results, and accuracy of user data. Does this sound like too much work for you? Don’t worry, because Hyperlink InfoSystem is here to guide you. With 12+ years of industry experience, we can manage any project from start to finish. Whether it's hiring app developers in the Middle East or managing mobile app development projects, trust us for exceptional results. Speak to one of our experts to find out more.