Buyers’ Guide to Online Video Platforms 2019
The importance of video in the internet content landscape and the need for alternatives to YouTube ensured the emergence of a great number of video platforms. Providing the same basic service — hosting videos, there are still considerable differences in features and technology between the offers of each of these digital video companies. We take a look at the best online video platforms, what their characteristics mean for advertisers, and how does MOW Player measure up to the more famous names in the industry.
Basics of Online Video Platforms
All modern online video platforms need to be fully responsive across devices and browsers. Not having monetization available would be a waste of bandwidth and time, analytics provide the key strategic inputs for publishers and advertisers alike, but there are many unique and specific features video platforms provide. Examining them can help advertisers decide on which specific platform fits their needs the most.
MOW Player
One of the new players on the block, but one powered by people with bags of experience in the video publishing industry. MOW Player functions on a free-to-use system making it a risk-less option, especially for that only dabbling in the digital video industry. MOW provides a slideshow video creating feature called Storyteller, but the platform’s prize technology is Video Article. A small tool for presenting grouped videos one-by-one as addition to any web page, even the ones with different video players on them.
JWPlayer
Surely the most-well known online video player and platform, JW Player has been in the industry for a long time. JW prouds itself on being the first embeddable web player, back in 2004, and has continued on the road of innovation to this date. Currently, it’s using machine learning to provide the viewer with the most-fitting recommended videos. JW Player has three pricing options, the $30 per year Starter pack, the $300 Business plan, and the Enterprise custom pricing plan which is the only one who has all the features available.
BITMovin
Focusing on cloud hosting and encoding video files for fastest buffering time for the viewers along with never-faulting responsiveness, BITMovin is built for developers in mind. Offering 360 video, VR, and live-streaming too, the company is clearly focused on the newest technological advances in video. BITMovin doesn’t lean on third-party plugins and this is where the speed comes from.
Brightcove
Offering everything that can be expected from an HTML5 video platform, Brightcove is another household name in the digital video world. Brightcove lists their support team as one of their main advantages compared to the competition, providing account managers and an award-winning support team.
THEOplayer
THEOplayer is an HTML5 player at its core but it provides many more feature out which the rarest ones are picture-in-picture, subtitles, and 4K resolution. The platform focuses mostly on giving the viewer the highest possible experience, with a focus on mobile web in particular.
The number of business utilizing video on their landing pages recorded an 11% rise in the last year and sits at 60% now. The sheer amount of content is nearly unfathomable as more video content is uploaded in 30 days than the major U.S. television networks have created in 30 years.
It’s expected that almost all businesses with an online presence are going to use video content sooner rather than later, and deciding on who to partner up for this endeavor may be one of the most important strategic choices.
If you enjoyed this story, please recommend 👏 and share to help others find it! Let us know what you think. Share your thoughts on the subject in the comment section below.
