01
SVOD
Subscription video with plans, free trials, entitlements and account sharing rules, billed through the stores or your own checkout where allowed.
FIG 01 · OTT App Development
OTT app development for phones, web and every TV
Streaming apps engineered for every screen and every store gate: HLS and DASH with CMAF, multi-DRM, server-side ad insertion and subscriptions, with certification-ready builds for Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung and LG. Your DRM credentials and store accounts stay in your name.
See how it works
FIG 02 · Quick answer
What is OTT app development?
OTT app development is building streaming apps that deliver video or audio over the internet to phones, browsers, smart TVs and streaming devices. Elgrith builds OTT apps with HLS and DASH delivery, multi-DRM (FairPlay, Widevine, PlayReady), subscriptions or ads, and certification-ready apps for Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung and LG.
- DRM systems we integrate: FairPlay, Widevine, PlayReady
- 3
- Projects delivered since 2015
- 1,000+
- Clients across the USA, UK and India
- 250+
- Your code, store accounts and DRM credentials
- 100%
FIG 03 · Why it matters
Streaming is half of TV. Every screen has its own gate.
From Nielsen’s Gauge and Roku’s and Apple’s developer pages, checked on 23 Oct 2026.
01
49.6%
Of US TV viewing was streaming in August 2026
Nielsen’s Gauge for August 2026 put streaming at 49.6% of television, with YouTube alone at 15.8%. Nielsen will publish September and October together after a methodology change.
Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, August 2026 (read 23 Oct 2026)(opens in a new tab)02
1 Oct 2026
Roku’s manifest deadline
Roku’s channel manifest docs say apps “must set this parameter to rsg_version=1.3 by October 1, 2026, to continue passing certification testing”. Roku also requires Roku Pay for subscriptions and one-time purchases.
Source: Roku Developer, channel manifest (read 23 Oct 2026)(opens in a new tab)03
85%
Apple proceeds after a subscriber’s first paid year
Apple says that after a subscriber accumulates one year of paid service, your net revenue rises to 85% of the subscription price, minus applicable taxes.
Source: Apple Developer, auto-renewable subscriptions (read 23 Oct 2026)(opens in a new tab)
FIG 04 · DRM
Content protection: multi-DRM by platform
No single DRM plays everywhere, so premium OTT apps run multi-DRM: one encrypted CMAF package, licensed by the system each device supports. We confirm each platform’s current requirements during discovery.
| Platform | DRM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Safari | FairPlay Streaming | Credentials issued only to the content owner’s account |
| Android phones, Android TV, Google TV, Chrome | Widevine | Security level varies by device; HD and 4K often need hardware-backed playback |
| Fire TV | Widevine or PlayReady | Built as an Android app for Fire OS |
| Roku | PlayReady or Widevine | Native BrightScript and SceneGraph app |
| Samsung (Tizen), LG (webOS) | PlayReady or Widevine | Web-based TV apps, each with its own store review |
| Windows, Edge, Xbox | PlayReady | Edge also supports Widevine |
Who must own your DRM credentials: Apple says FairPlay requests “for third-party accounts acting on behalf of content owners or licensees won’t be approved” (Apple FairPlay Streaming page, read 23 Oct 2026). So your FairPlay credentials, and your DRM provider account, are set up in your name; we integrate them.
Hosting the pipeline? See cloud deploymentFIG 05 · What you get
OTT apps we build
Any business model, live or on demand, on any screen your viewers use. You pick the model and the screens; the delivery stack is built to match.
02
AVOD
Free, ad-supported viewing with server-side or client-side ad insertion and frequency caps.
03
FAST channels
Free ad-supported linear channels built from your library, with schedules, an EPG and ad breaks.
04
TVOD and pay-per-view
Rentals, purchases and event passes, with entitlements that work across every device a viewer signs in on.
05
Live streaming
Live events and channels with low-latency HLS where the use case needs it, DVR windows and live-to-VOD.
06
Video on demand
Catalogs, series and seasons, search, recommendations, continue watching and downloads for offline viewing.
07
Mobile and web apps
iOS, Android and web players with casting to TVs through AirPlay and Chromecast.
08
TV and streaming-device apps
Apple TV, Android TV and Google TV, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung Tizen and LG webOS, designed for the remote, not the mouse.
Deliverables
11
deliverables, in writing
Included in every build, written into your fixed quote before work starts.
FIG 06 · Architecture
Streaming architecture: ingest to every screen
Ingest, transcode, package, protect, deliver. Each stage is a choice of service or build, sized to your library and audience.
- Content library
- Live encoder
- CMS and metadata
Your OTT platform
- Phones and tablets
- Web
- TVs and devices
Ingest
- Input
- Mezzanine files, live feeds, captions and artwork
- Output
- Checked sources and metadata in your CMS
Transcode
- Input
- One high-quality source
- Output
- An adaptive bitrate ladder for every screen size
Package (HLS / DASH + CMAF)
- Input
- Encoded renditions
- Output
- One set of CMAF segments served as HLS and DASH
Encrypt and license (multi-DRM)
- Input
- Packaged segments and your DRM keys
- Output
- FairPlay, Widevine and PlayReady licenses per device
Deliver (CDN)
- Input
- Origin storage
- Output
- Cached segments close to viewers, with token-protected URLs
Play (ABR player)
- Input
- Manifest and license
- Output
- Adaptive playback, captions, audio tracks and analytics
FIG 07 · Smart TVs
Smart-TV and streaming-device apps
Each TV platform has its own language, store review and certification rules. Dated notes, checked 23 Oct 2026; we re-check each store’s rules before submission.
05principles
Apple TV (tvOS)
Native Swift apps with focus-based navigation, top-shelf content and StoreKit subscriptions, reviewed under the App Store guidelines.
Android TV, Google TV and Fire TV
Kotlin apps built for the remote and the leanback layout, published to Google Play and the Amazon Appstore.
Android app developmentRoku
BrightScript and SceneGraph apps. Roku’s docs require rsg_version=1.3 in the manifest by 1 Oct 2026 to keep passing certification, and Roku Pay for subscriptions and one-time purchases.
Samsung Tizen and LG webOS
Web-based TV apps sharing much of one codebase, tested on real TVs before each store submission.
Your accounts, your keys
Your App Store, Play Console, Amazon, Roku, Samsung and LG developer accounts, signing keys and DRM credentials stay in your name.
FIG 08 · Revenue
Monetization and ad insertion
Subscriptions, ads or both. The model shapes the player, the backend and which store rules apply.
05principles
Subscriptions and entitlements
Plans, trials, upgrades and an entitlement service that knows what each viewer may watch, on every device.
SSAI
Server-side ad insertion stitches ads into the stream itself, so playback is smooth and ad blockers struggle to skip them.
CSAI
Client-side ad insertion asks for ads from the player, with richer interactivity, at the cost of more player logic per platform.
VAST and VMAP
Industry-standard ad responses (VAST) and ad-break schedules (VMAP) connected to your ad server or SSP.
Web checkout
Your own web subscription checkout where store rules allow it.
Payment gateway integration
FIG 09 · Video
Video streaming app development
The features viewers notice, and the ones they only notice when they break.
05principles
Live and low latency
Live channels and events with DVR, and low-latency HLS where interaction or sport needs it.
Downloads
Offline viewing with DRM-protected downloads and expiry rules from your content licenses.
Casting
AirPlay and Chromecast from phone and web to the big screen.
Analytics
Playback quality and engagement data from every player, in a dashboard your team can read.
Captions and audio tracks
Subtitles, closed captions and audio descriptions, with readable sizes on a TV.
FIG 10 · Audio
Music and audio streaming apps
Music app development has the same delivery problems as video, plus licensing. Licensing is your responsibility; we build the technical controls your licenses require. Not legal advice.
05principles
Streaming and gapless playback
Adaptive audio streaming with gapless playback for albums, live sets and long-form audio.
Offline downloads
Encrypted offline storage with the play limits and expiry your licenses set.
DRM and protection
Encrypted audio with license checks, where your rights holders require it.
Libraries and playlists
Search, playlists, queues, lyrics where licensed, and background and lock-screen playback.
Built by the team behind our flagship
Kenerate AI, our flagship build, designed and engineered by Elgrith. It is an AI image and video studio, not a streaming service.
See Kenerate AI
FIG 11 · Measurement
What we measure: quality of experience
Viewers leave when video stalls, not when the code is untidy. So we measure playback the way viewers feel it.
| How we measure it | What we won’t do | |
|---|---|---|
| Start-up | Time from play to first frame, by device and network | Quote a lab figure as real-world |
| Rebuffering | Stall time as a share of watch time | Hide stalls behind average bitrate |
| Failures | Playback and license errors by platform and app version | Ignore older TVs your viewers still use |
| Quality | Bitrate delivered and resolution reached | Push higher bitrates than the network can hold |
| Business | Trials, conversions, churn and ad fill from your systems | Promise subscriber or revenue numbers |
Targets and reporting are agreed in your written scope, per platform.
FIG 12 · Process · 6 steps
One stream, every screen
Discovery, architecture, apps, certification: a fixed written quote after a free call, the delivery stack before the apps, and store submissions from your own accounts.
- Step 01
Free call
Tell us what you need to launch or fix and what you have already tried. We ask about your audience, systems, team and deadlines first.
- Step 02
Discovery
We map your content, rights, business model, target screens and markets, then choose the encoding, DRM, CDN and ad services with you.
- Step 03
Fixed written quote
A written scope and a fixed quote, with the timeline, platforms, access and hand-over agreed before any work starts.
- Step 04
Sprints with weekly demos
The streaming pipeline and backend first, then mobile, web and TV apps, each shown playing protected content in a weekly demo.
- Step 05
Launch
Store and platform submissions from your developer accounts, with certification checks for each TV platform before we submit.
- Step 06
Support
Platform updates, new store rules, playback monitoring and new features, as agreed in your written scope.
FIG 13 · What you get
Everything included
Written into your fixed quote, so you know exactly what you are paying for before work starts.
11items
- Written scope and fixed quote
- Streaming architecture and vendor selection
- Encoding ladder and HLS / DASH + CMAF packaging
- Multi-DRM integration in your accounts
- iOS, Android and web apps
- TV apps for the platforms you choose
- Subscriptions, ads or both
- Playback analytics and QoE dashboard
- Store and certification submissions
- Admin CMS for content and metadata
- Your code, store accounts, signing keys and DRM credentials stay yours
FIG 14 · Tech & tools
The tools behind the work
Proven, well-supported tools, chosen for your project and set up in accounts your business owns.
- HLS
- MPEG-DASH
- CMAF
- FairPlay Streaming
- Widevine
- PlayReady
- AVPlayer
- ExoPlayer / Media3
- Shaka Player
- BrightScript
- SceneGraph
- Tizen
- webOS
- AWS Elemental
- VAST / VMAP
- Chromecast
- AirPlay
FIG 15 · Who it’s for
Streaming apps for anyone with something worth watching.
Same method everywhere: the delivery stack first, then apps for the screens your viewers actually use.
4 audiences
Media brands
Broadcasters, studios and publishers.
Your own SVOD, AVOD or FAST service on every screen, with multi-DRM your licensors accept and ad insertion your sales team can sell.
- Multi-DRM for licensed content
- SSAI and FAST channels
- TV apps on every major platform
- Credentials in your name
Creators
Creators, educators and fitness brands.
A subscription app for your library and live classes, on phones and TVs, with your own brand and your own subscriber list.
- Subscriptions and trials
- Live classes and replays
- Downloads for offline
- Web checkout where allowed
Live events
Sports, events and faith broadcasts.
Live streams with pay-per-view or free access, low-latency playback where it matters, and replays straight after.
- Live and pay-per-view
- Low-latency HLS
- Live-to-VOD replays
- Casting to TVs
UK
OTT app development for UK organisations.
UK work runs through our London client-partnership centre, with delivery from our New Delhi HQ. We build for the screens UK viewers use, with UK English throughout and a fixed written quote in GBP.
- Smart TV and streaming-device apps
- Multi-DRM in your name
- UK English throughout
- Fixed written quote in GBP
FIG 16 · Working with us from the USA and UK
Built in New Delhi. Run on your hours.
Every project gets a point of contact in New York or London and an engineering team in New Delhi. Here is how today’s working days line up, live.
New York
North America
--:--ET
New Delhi team Your working day- Shared working time
- ≈ 3 hours today
- New Delhi is
- 10.5 h ahead
- Live calls, your time
- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET
London
UK & Europe
--:--UK
New Delhi team Your working day- Shared working time
- ≈ 4.5 hours today
- New Delhi is
- 5.5 h ahead
- Live calls, your time
- 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. UK
Three ways to work together
- 01
Fixed-scope project
A written scope, one fixed price and a dated plan. Suits websites, apps and MVPs.
- 02
Dedicated team
Designers and engineers on your roadmap every month, billed monthly.
- 03
White label
For US and UK agencies: our work, your brand, unbranded deliverables.
Every engagement
- Fixed quote in USD, GBP or INR after a free 30-minute call
- NDA before discovery. You own all code, designs and content
- A working demo every sprint, not status slides
- Reply within one business day, calls inside your hours
Book a call
Calls on ET or UK hours
FIG 17 · Rules and dates
Streaming app store rules: what changed and when
What changed for streaming apps, and when. Checked at each source on 23 Oct 2026. General guidance, not legal advice; store rules change, so we re-check before every submission.
| Date | What changed | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Jun 2026 | Google Play’s new service-fee schedule takes effect in the US, UK and EEA; auto-renewing subscriptions are listed at 10% plus a 5% billing fee, depending on whether the install is new or existing | Android, Android TV and Google TV apps selling subscriptions through Play |
| 1 Oct 2026 | Roku apps must set rsg_version=1.3 in the manifest to keep passing certification testing | Every Roku app |
| Aug 2026 (published Oct 2026) | Nielsen’s Gauge puts streaming at 49.6% of US TV viewing; September and October will be published together | Anyone sizing a streaming audience |
| Ongoing | Apple allows buttons and external purchase links in US storefront apps; whether Apple may charge a commission on link-outs is still being decided in court | iOS and tvOS apps selling in the US |
Sources: Play Console Help, service fees; Roku Developer, channel manifest and subscriptions; Nielsen, The Gauge (August 2026); Apple App Store Review Guidelines 3.1.1(a) and 3.1.3; all read 23 Oct 2026.
FIG 18 · Store payments
App store payment rules for streaming subscriptions (checked 23 Oct 2026)
Every store takes a share or sets the payment rules. Here is what each one’s own page says, checked 23 Oct 2026. We model the fees for your plans in discovery.
| Store | What its own page says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Apple App Store | 15% for Small Business Program members; 85% proceeds on subscriptions after one year of paid service | Lower commission for small developers and long-term subscribers |
| Apple, US storefront | Buttons and external links to web purchase are allowed | A web checkout option in the US; the commission question is still in court |
| Google Play (US, UK, EEA) | From 30 Jun 2026, auto-renewing subscriptions listed at 10% plus a 5% billing fee | Model new and existing installs separately |
| Roku | Apps offering subscriptions and one-time purchases must implement Roku Pay | Billing on Roku goes through Roku Pay |
FIG 19 · Compare
Custom OTT development vs an OTT platform builder
| Custom OTT development | OTT app builder | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Large libraries, licensed content, ads, custom features | Creators and small libraries launching fast |
| DRM and ads | Multi-DRM and SSAI chosen to fit your licenses | What the builder supports |
| Screens | Any platform you choose | The platforms the builder offers |
| Ownership | You own the code, data and accounts | You rent the platform; check data export |
| Running cost | Your cloud, CDN and DRM bills, plus upkeep | A subscription or revenue share to the builder |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about OTT App Development with Elgrith.
An OTT (over-the-top) app streams video or audio over the internet instead of through cable, satellite or broadcast. It runs on phones, tablets, browsers, smart TVs and streaming devices such as Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku, and is usually paid for by subscription (SVOD), ads (AVOD and FAST) or per title (TVOD).
FIG 20 · Related
Keep exploring
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iOS, Android & cross-platformAndroid App Development
Kotlin & Jetpack Compose appsiOS App Development
Native Swift apps for iPhone & iPadCloud & Deployment
Hosting, CI/CD & DevOpsPayment Gateway Integration
Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay & moreWeb App Development
Portals, dashboards & internal tools
Free 30-minute call
One stream. Every screen. Your name on every key.
Tell us your content, business model and the screens you need. After a free call you get a written scope and a fixed quote, delivery stack first.
Pick a day for your call
OpenPick a day. You'll choose a time in your own time zone on the next step.