How Much Does It Cost To Build a Netflix-Like Streaming Service

Available in 190 countries, Netflix is the top choice for around 209 million people around the world. The popularity of Netflix is growing fast. The number of subscribers is continually growing both in the USA and internationally. So what is the secret of this popularity growth? Well, Netflix remains the best streaming service thanks to its original content, recommendation engine, ad-free viewing experience, and low subscription price.

If you are wondering how to start a streaming service like Netflix, scroll down to find some tips!

How Netflix streaming works

Netflix is available in more than 190 countries. Millions of people enjoy high-quality content, no matter where they are. But how does the streaming service deliver a great experience to 190 countries simultaneously, you ask?

Well, to stream TV shows and movies Netflix uses the internet. Their content travels across multiple touchpoints to get to end-users’ screens.

When a user hits ‘Play’, Netflix will decide where to send the TV show or movie from. Netflix has servers all over the world, and will use the most efficient path possible to carry the video through their system to the end-user’s internet service provider (the shorter the route, the higher the video quality).

When Netflix hands off the video to the subscriber’s ISP and their network has slowdowns or capacity problems, the user’s Netflix experience will suffer.

If there are no major roadblocks, the ISP will deliver the video right to the end-user’s screen. Obviously, this all happens in the microseconds, and it is so fast we won’t notice it at all.

What is needed for streaming?

Millions of people are watching live streaming content daily. Live streaming is one of the most popular forms of online content today, and it’s growing with no signs of slowing down. So it comes as no surprise that so many people want to turn live streaming into their new hobby, a source of income, or a marketing tactic for their business in 2021.

To live stream on your own you will need a camera, a microphone, streaming software, and a fast, stable internet connection. But before going live you will need to:

Find your niche: Gaming, music, sports, e-commerce…What will your live stream be about?

Define your audience: Who would watch your content? If you don’t know your target audience, you can’t create good content, right?

Choose a platform: Depending on your goals you can choose between YouTube, Facebook, Instagram Live, Twitter Live, etc.

Promote your live stream: Obviously, no one will watch your live stream if you don’t tell them about it.

How to create a streaming App like Netflix?

To start a streaming service like Netflix, follow these steps:

Find Your Niche — Plan Your Content

What types of movies or TV shows your new app will stream? Are you planning to cover all potential viewers? Or maybe you have decided to build a streaming service for only kids? Will you be able to create original content?

Yep, that’s right! First of all, you should decide what content your app will stream to users.

Get Licensing for Content

You will need to get licenses for all types of content you are going to stream. You can obtain licenses by (1) contacting the copyright holder directly, or (2) renting movies and shows from authorized distributors.

Consider Revenue Models

You can basically choose between three monetization options:

Subscriptions: Subscribers are charged a monthly fee to receive access to a library of movies and TV shows.

Advertising: Once your streaming service becomes popular among users, you can charge other companies for running advertisements on your platform.

Pay-per-view: A subscriber will pay for each program viewed

Find and Hire an App Development Company: Finding the right app development company can seem like a daunting process. Luckily, with a little research, you can find the right development company to turn your app idea into reality.

Before hiring a development team, find out if the development company you are planning to hire has experience with the technologies required for your project, the approximate cost of the project, what previous clients say about them, how much time the development will take, etc.

Marketing and Promotion: No matter how awesome your new streaming service app is, if users don’t know about your app, your hard work is worthless. Thus focus on marketing if you want your new streaming service app to succeed.

How much does Netflix cost?

Netflix uses a subscription-based business model. It has 3 subscription monthly plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium.

The Netflix prices start at $8.99 for the Basic plan. The monthly subscription costs $13.99 for the Standard plan, and $17.99 for the Premium.

The plan will determine the number of devices that subscribers can watch Netflix on at the same time. With the Basic plan, programs can only be watched on one screen at a time. The Standard plan lets users watch HD videos on two screens at a time. With the Premium plan, subscribers can watch four screens at the same time. It also offers a 4K viewing option.

All 3 Netflix plans let subscribers download movies and shows onto their devices and watch unlimited movies and TV shows.

Technology stack for Netflix-like service

Netflix’s engineers write in Java, JS, Python, Kotlin, and Swift.

The scalability and security of the streaming service are the results of its use of Python. Python is also used for features like data-economical encoding and user personalization.

The streaming service has user-friendly interfaces thanks to the UI library of JavaScript, ReactJS which uses NodeJS as a framework and WinJS simplifies the development progress of windows applications.

The backend of Netflix comprises the following elements:

• Programming languages — PHP, Python, JavaScript
• Frameworks — Ruby on Rails, Django, Flask
• Databases — MongoDB and MySQL
• Server providers — Apache, NginX, etc.

Total Cost Of Netflix like App Development

Now you have a general idea of how to start a streaming service. The big question now is how much it will cost to build an app like Netflix.

The total cost of building a streaming service like Netflix ranges between $150000 to $250000. The cost includes Android and iOS application development, front-end development, and back-end development.

The cost of developing streaming apps depends upon many factors. Here we list the most important factors:

Features: The primary factor that affects the cost of an app is its features. Obviously, the greater the number of features and functionalities, the more the app will cost.

Application Design: Keeping the user interface simple will not only ensure users will find it easier to access the application, but it will also reduce some of the costs.

Platform: Developing the Android version of a movie streaming service will be significantly more expensive than the iOS version.

Location of Development Company: The development of apps is more expensive in the USA, Canada, and Western Europe than in countries like India or Ukraine.