Smart TV App Development: How to Develop an App Like Netflix and How Much It Will Cost
January 9, 2023
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We live in the age of smart gadgets, so it's not surprising that even televisions have become smart. What about watching your favorite TV programs any time you want and being able to record them? And what about having endless access to various streaming services, music, gaming, sports, or any other type of content by simply downloading an app? All these requests can be covered by smart TV which, in simple terms, means a combination of TV + Internet + app.
Without a doubt, smart TV applications are extremely popular nowadays. So if you think of launching your app, why not start with developing a smart TV app? This article is a brief guide that may come in handy for you!
Smart TV Apps Market: Statistics
As of 2021, the value of the global smart TV market size was approximately $188 billion (based on Grand View Research). It is projected to grow significantly with a CAGR of 10.9% and ahieve the value of $451.2 billion by 2030. The key manufacturers of smart TV devices are Samsung, LG, TCL, and Xiaomi. That’s why the Asia Pacific region had the biggest market share and revenue in 2021-2022.
According to different resources, among the most popular smart TV apps are App TV, YouTube, Hulu, Plex, Netflix, etc. Let’s take a closer look at the last one to find out the secret of its success!
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Smart TV App Example: Netflix
Netflix is a leading streaming service that provides users with access to a huge amount of TV programs, movies, and series. It is available on smartphones, tablets, as well as on smart TVs.
As of 2022, Netflix had 223.09 million subscribers and a revenue of $31.473 billion. Without exaggeration, Netflix revolutionized the way people watch TV by offering a set of features that became innovative and able to keep audiences hooked.
So if you’re planning to develop a smart TV app, this list of Netflix features may be a great reference or even inspiration for you!
Ability to create several profiles using a single subscription
Depending on your subscription type, you can create up to 5 various profiles. It’s extremely convenient if you are going to share your account with other people. Thanks to this feature, you don’t have to worry about overlapping content - you can tailor each profile to the tastes and needs of every particular user!
Ability to never stop watching…even if you’re offline
Netflix takes care of its users even when they're offline by allowing them to download their favorite films and TV shows on their devices. This feature enables you to download up to 100 content entities per 1 device (of course, you should also keep in mind the amount of your device storage). It’s a perfect solution for those who love watching TV and movies on the go!
Text & Audio Subtitles
This feature is about high-level app accessibility which is the #1 priority nowadays. If the user doesn’t understand the movie language well or has hearing problems, he can turn on text subtitles. At the same time, not everyone finds text subtitles convenient, so Netflix also оffers audio subtitles in the language that is the most comprehensible for a particular user.
Parental Control
You may be surprised (if you haven’t known this yet) that Netflix offers profiles for kids. Parents can manage the content their children watch and keep them from viewing movies and shows that are inappropriate for their age. Now Netflix has taken it one step further by adding a PIN feature. It means that kids can’t access mature content if they don’t know their parents' PIN.
Skip the Intro
This is one of the favorite features of all movie lovers who do not want to lose a second listening to the songs and reading the titles but want to move on to the action and enjoy the movie immediately.
Among other great Netflix features are:
- registration and login through social media
- live streaming
- reviews & ratings
- multi-language
- secure payments
How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App like Netflix?
To be frank, it’s hard to provide precise numbers when talking about the cost of the development of an app like Netflix, as many factors can affect the final price. For example, design complexity, the urgency of the development tasks, tech stack, and usage of advanced technologies, software development rates, etc.
However, as a smart TV app development company from Ukraine, we have profound experience in developing such apps and can try to provide rough time estimations and calculate the approximate cost with the average rates in the U.S. and Eastern Europe.
So how much time is needed to deliver an app like Netflix?
- Design: 120-160 hours
- Development stage: 800-900 hours
- Quality testing: 120-160 hours
The total minimum time required to develop a Netflix-like app is from 1040 hours to 1220 hours. The average software development rate in the U.S. is $80-$100. Consequently, if you hire tech experts from this region, it will cost you approximately $83 200 - $122 000 to build a smart TV app. However, if you hire software developers from Eastern Europe that have a rate of $40/hour you significantly cut the cost (such development will take you $41 600 - $48 800.
Bonus Tip: How Can You Cut Your Smart TV App Development Costs?
As we mentioned above, the first way to save your budget is to hire software development experts from the region at lower rates. By the way, we recommend you choose outsourcing teams from Ukraine like Perfsol, as we offer reasonable software development prices, great English proficiency, huge experience in smart TV app development and know how to work in a multicultural environment effectively.
As a bonus tip, we recommend you start your smart TV app development with MVP (Minimum Viable Product). It means that you don’t have to spend all your budget on the development of the whole app at once, but can start with the creation of the most basic version of your app and then move gradually to the development of more advanced features. MVP contains the key features only. However, it still can be launched to the market and help you gather your first users’ feedback and make necessary changes (which prevents you from spending money on the development of features that users don’t like). Moreover, MVP enables you to get your first profit and attract more investors to continue your app development.
One More Smart TV app example: DNS NET TV
If developing a large-scale application like Netflix looks like something unrealistic to you, take a closer look at a real-life case from our company.
Recently, our Perfsol team developed a smart TV app called DNS NET TV. It is an Android app that is suitable both for Android mobile and Android TV platforms. It contains the following features:
- Instant replay
- Synchronization between devices
- Ability to watch live TV and VOD
- Customization of favorite channels
- Ability to record video content to watch it anytime you want
- Electronic Program Guide (EPG) grid view, etc.
Do you have an app idea like this? Feel free to contact us to get more details regarding this case and our free consultation on smart TV app development.
Perfsol is all set to help you create a smart TV app that will skyrocket your business
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I follow a proactive approach in life to solve simple to complex problems systematically. I fully understand the nexus of people, process, technology, and culture to get the best out of everyone at Perfsol to grow the businesses and deliver a societal impact at the national and global levels.
FAQ
What is a smart TV app?
Smart TV app is a specific platform that via the Internet connection empowers your traditional TV gadgets with the ability to watch any type of video content anytime you want, record movies and TV shows, share this content with your friends, etc.How much does it cost to develop an app like Netflix?
It’s hard to provide precise numbers, however, based on the experience of our smart TV app development team, we can calculate the development cost of such an app in the U.S. ($83 200 - $122 000) and in Eastern European countries ($41 600 - $48 800).How can I cut smart TV app development costs?
First of all, we recommend you hire software developers from regions that have lower hourly rates. It may seem risky but be sure that a lower price does not always mean worse quality. For example, smart TV app developers from Ukraine are a popular hiring option as they are known for their great price-quality ratio, responsibility, good English proficiency, and soft skills. Secondly, you can start with the development of MVP and spend your budget gradually, without the need to develop both crucial and additional features at once.