Independent creators everywhere are unlocking the potential of the subscription-based model, and starting their own video service platforms.
From filmmakers, to entertainers, to event organizers: these creators have built something that’s entirely their own – and they’re reaping the benefits.
This guide will take you through the step-by-step of building, launching, and growing your own online TV network. And, before we get into the how, we’ll unpack some of the core benefits of this independent streaming model.
Let’s get started!
Why Start Your Own Online TV Network? 4 Major Benefits of Independent Streaming
1. Earn Stable Recurring Revenue
Running your own online television network allows you to build and scale predictable, recurring revenue; empowering you to step away from traditional ad revenue models.
Like most streaming services, your independent platform would run on a subscription-based model. Your subscribers would pay a recurring fee in exchange for access to your exclusive video content.
Besides the peace of mind that comes from predictable revenue, you’ll be able to accurately plan the next steps to grow your business; whether you want to reinvest in creating new content, offering more features, or growing your team.
2. Reach a Wider Audience
The reach of an online TV network compared to traditional cable TV is no contest.
Your own branded platform can distribute your content not only through your site, but across your own mobile and TV apps too, allowing your exclusive video content to be accessible to a global audience.
Not only can your own online television network attract a diverse viewership, but it also gives you unparalleled control over the experience for your subscribers.
3. Build Your Brand
Want to stand out from other online creators, and compete with traditional cable TV networks?
The legitimacy of a fully branded platform offers an experience that can’t be beaten by third-party platforms like YouTube. Not to mention, your subscribers won’t have to deal with the dynamic ad insertion that interrupts their viewing.
And, to add to that legitimacy, branded mobile and TV apps make your content accessible across multiple devices, to watch anytime, anywhere.
This sleek and convenient experience translates to higher retention rates and a more engaged audience, which are critical for long-term success.
As a bonus, a strong brand can open up additional revenue streams for your online TV channels; from merchandising, to sponsorships, to partnerships.
4. Create Content Without Restrictions
Owning your online TV network means complete creative control.
Unlike traditional television or platforms like YouTube which have strict content policies and algorithms that prioritize certain types of content; your own network allows you to create and distribute content without these restrictions.
You can explore niche topics, experiment with different formats, and produce content that truly resonates with your audience without worrying about demonetization or content removal.
This freedom fosters innovation, creativity, and profitability – enabling you to deliver unique and engaging content consistently.
How to Create an Online TV Network: 5 Steps for a Quick and Successful Launch
Now that you know some of the highlights to look forward to, let’s talk about how to get there.
This step-by-step will help you to proritize the must-haves so that you can launch quickly and see success sooner.
Let’s dive in!
1. Do Market Research
Before diving into the creation of your TV network, market research is essential.
The term ‘market research’ has a lot of connotations: expensive, complicated, slow (and, frankly, boring). But, this step can be done simply, affordably, and – best of all – it will make every decision easier for you in the steps to come.
All you need is an up-to-date understanding of your target audience, their preferences, and the competitive landscape you’re operating in. And to achieve this, you’ll need to set up a survey.
Survey Your Audience
A survey will allow you to collect valuable insights into what your potential subscribers are looking for. The most important questions you need to answer are:
- How do they want to pay? You actually don’t want to ask how much your audience is willing to pay, because they don’t know what kind of value you’re offering yet. Instead, ask them how often they’d like to pay. For example, do they want a month-to-month plan, or are they ready to commit to an annual subscription? Do some viewers want to be able to buy or rent an individual video or bundle?
- What do they want to watch? Determine the types of content your audience is interested in. Do they want a dedicated TV channel for each topic? Do they prefer on-demand channels, or are they excited for live streaming?
- Where do they want to watch? Find out which devices your audience prefers for streaming content. Whether it’s mobile phones, tablets, laptops, or smart TVs, knowing this will help you optimize your platform for a better user experience.
Conducting audience surveys can be done through email campaigns, social media polls, or directly on your website. Wherever you have an engaged group of your target audience, you’ll want to make sure you’re hearing from them.
If you want to offer incentives, you can promise exclusive content or early-bird discounts to encourage participation and gather more comprehensive data.
Research Your Competitors
While your platform will be uniquely tailored to your content and your audience, some competitor research will give you an idea of what other online TV platforms are offering and charging.
Create a list of the top 4-5 competitors in your niche, and then take note of:
- What they offer. Do these platforms offer multiple channels within their networks? Do they have their own OTT app platforms? Do they lean more into the on-demand model or live streaming? This sort of information will help you to understand what viewers are looking for.
- What they charge. In the context of what each of these competitors offer, take note of what they charge. How big are their catalogs? How much variety in topic and format do they offer? Do they provide additional benefits for subscribers? This information will guide you in pricing the value you offer in your own TV station.
- How they market themselves. Understanding how these video service platforms refer to themselves and how they appeal to their audience will give you a head start on your marketing and messaging. What wording do they use to explain what they offer? Do they use terms like ‘internet TV’, or ‘web TV’? What pieces of value do they highlight most often?
You don’t need to copy-and-paste any of the learnings you collect through this competitor research, but you should have a lot more information on your side to hit the ground running and avoid a few learning curves.
2. Plan Out The Fundamentals of Your Offering
Once you have a clear understanding of your market, it’s time to plan the core aspects of your online television network.
This involves defining your initial content offering and deciding on the pricing model that’s right for you.
It’s important to note that this step is just to get you started. As your platform grows over time, you might want to increase your pricing, introduce or remove some TV channels, and so on.
Your subscribers will expect things to change over time, so don’t get overwhelmed about making permanent decisions in this phase.
Plan Your Initial Content Offering
Start by curating an initial lineup of content that will attract new viewers.
Maybe you want to launch with just one TV channel or content category. Or, maybe you have a backlog of existing content that you can use to pad out multiple TV channels or categories.
Based on the thousands of launches we’ve seen, you only need a handful of videos in your catalog for a successful launch. From there, you can start to build out your collection of video content and live stream replays over time.
During this step, you’ll also want to plan ahead for the next few months. Maybe you want to introduce a new online TV channel to your network every quarter. Maybe you just want to focus in on the TV channels you launch for the first 6-12 months.
There’s no right or wrong answer here, and this plan can change as you go.
Pricing and Billing Strategy
Based on your market research, establish a pricing model that balances affordability for your audience and profitability for your business.
You’ll want to land on a price that reflects the value of what you’re offering to subscribers, and avoid simply pricing to undercut the prices of your competitors.
Based on the feedback from your survey, decide on whether or not you’ll be offering multiple subscription tiers, including options for monthly, quarterly, and annual billing. This flexibility can cater to different viewer preferences and increase your chances of conversion.
In addition to subscription tiers, consider implementing special promotions, such as early-bird discounts to attract new subscribers.
Offering a free trial period for all new subscribers can also help potential viewers experience your content without commitment, increasing the likelihood of them becoming members in the future.
Need a bit more guidance to find the perfect price? We built a tool to help you do exactly that!
Use our free tool to pinpoint your ideal membership price in just 3 steps, leveraging a decade of data.
3. Find the Perfect Platform
Once your fundamentals are planned out, it’s time to find the right video hosting platform for your online TV network.
What’s right for your unique needs will depend on the features and budget you have in mind. But, there are some core, must-have features to look for in any video-hosting platform:
- Stable Streaming. Ensure uninterrupted streaming for both live and on-demand content.
- Monetization Options. Multiple ways to earn, including subscriptions and pay-per-view.
- OTT Capability. Optimize viewing experiences with OTT apps for mobile and TV.
- Brandable Platform. Allows for custom branding to align with your brand identity.
- Reliable Support. A reliable team to handle any technical issues and provide support for your subscribers.
Launch & Monetize Your Premium Content With Uscreen
Uscreen is a video hosting and monetization platform that provides an out-of-the-box solution to create a premium streaming service on any device, without breaking the bank.
Uscreen’s platform empowers you to take full control of your content distribution and build your own streaming service in minutes – no coding needed.
Why Uscreen? Deliver a seamless Netflix-style experience across devices. Uscreen’s Netflix-style Catalog creates a familiar experience for your subscribers and helps build your brand legitimacy. With stable offline viewing, your subscribers can watch your content from anywhere without restrictions or interruptions. Launch powerful, 5-star, no-code branded mobile & TV apps in 30 days.
Apps gave us an air of legitimacy and got rid of any barriers to accessing the content. We’re available on all the same platforms as the big streaming services, and pose a real alternative option.
Nick Hayes, Founder of MeansTV
Why Uscreen? Flexible monetization and instant payouts. Diversify your revenue with pay-per-view, subscriptions, bundles, and trials. Get paid in minutes with Uscreen’s quick payout system.
If you’re considering launching your own streaming service, Uscreen is easily the best platform out to do that for you, it’s not even close.
Alex Ferrari, Founder of Indie Film Hustle.
Why Uscreen? 24/7 tech support for you and your users. Enjoy quick, efficient resolution and responsive support with Uscreen. Trust us to handle the complex technical and billing aspects, so you can focus on your content and community.
I love my contact at Uscreen – she’s such an awesome resource for anything Uscreen-related I need. Even though she’s not technically in-house with Collective Kula, she’s a valuable part of the team.
Nicole Wild, Founder of Collective Kula
Uscreen provides both the technology and the support you need to simplify the process of launching and managing your online TV network.
Means TV is an entertainment streaming platform hosted on Uscreen, offering a curated selection of film & TV content.
Along with their website, Means TV offers all 6 of Uscreen’s mobile and TV apps to help members engage with the platform in different ways. They can easily browse or search the Netflix-style catalog, download their own playlists for offline viewing, and participate in live events.
This helped Means TV stand out in the streaming entertainment industry and grow their monthly revenue to $40k+.
Learn more about launching your own online television network with Uscreen today!
Build, launch and manage your membership, all in one place.
4. Set Up Your Platform: Web & Apps
Setting up your platform involves configuring both your web presence and mobile apps to provide a seamless experience for your viewers.
Here’s a quick guide on how to get started setting up your own website and branded apps to get your TV network ready for launch day:
Web Setup
All the hard work is already behind you, so setting up your site should be a quick and straightforward task to check-off your list.
There are only 4 things to do to get your website up and running:
- Upload and Organize Content. Start by uploading your content and organizing it into categories and playlists. This organization helps viewers easily find and navigate through your offerings.
- Subscription Tiers. Set up your subscription or membership tiers in line with your pricing and billing plan from a few steps ago. Each tier should highlight the unique benefits it offers, such as exclusive content, ad-free viewing, or early access to new releases.
- Homepage Design. Create an engaging homepage that highlights your best content and makes it easy for viewers to navigate. Use eye-catching visuals and clear calls-to-action to guide users.
- Marketing Tools. Integrate native marketing tools to promote your content and engage with your audience. Utilize email campaigns, social media integrations, and SEO best practices to drive traffic and conversions.
Get Inspired: Abundance+
Want to get an idea of what your platform can look like with some simple setup? Let’s take a look at the Abundance+ streaming platform, hosted here on Uscreen.
Their website homepage is simple but visually striking. They stick to their branded color palette, and feature their core messaging to make it easy for new audiences to understand what they’re offering.
They don’t overload their audience with too much information, instead they include the core need-to-know details; they highlight that their platform is available across all devices, and they showcase their pricing.
The Abundance+ content catalog is organized into different series, making it easy for new subscribers to discover and watch their content.
We went from $30,000 a month to over $130,000+ a month with the Abundance+ launch with Uscreen. When I look at that number, I am absolutely blown away and honored because that means I’m bringing a lot of service into the world. That’s the measure of success.
Justin Rhodes, Founder of Abundance+
Want to learn more about how Abundance+ launched and scaled their streaming platform on Uscreen?
Case Study: Abundance+ 2x’d Revenue with Niche Streaming App
App Setup
This step is a lot more hands-off for you. Once your website is all set up, adding apps to your platform is a simple 3-step process.
- Request Your Apps: If your video hosting platform offers whitelabeled apps like Uscreen does, you can submit your request to them to get your branded apps developed and launched across various devices. With technical expertise on their side, their job is to ensure that your apps provide a consistent experience across platforms, from smartphones to smart TVs.
- Customization: At Uscreen, your app-launch team will help to customize your app’s design to reflect your brand identity. This includes logos, color schemes, and layout preferences to create a cohesive brand experience for your viewers.
- Testing: Before launching, Uscreen’s team will thoroughly test your apps to ensure they function smoothly on all intended devices. These quality control processes will address any issues and optimize performance to provide the best possible user experience.
- Launch & Market Your New Platform: With your platform set up, it’s time to launch and market your online TV network. A well-executed launch strategy can create buzz and drive initial subscriptions, setting the stage for long-term success.
Launch Strategy
Promote your new platform to your existing audience and beyond.
Before investing a ton of resources into your marketing, start by using your own platforms to announce your launch and promote your platform.
Leverage your social media channels, email list, and any other channels where your audience is engaged to announce the launch.
Besides the standard promotional content you post, providing all the need-to-know information, this is also a great time to offer some exclusive incentives for your launch period:
- Offer a Waitlist Discount. Provide your waitlist subscribers with a limited-time discount as an incentive to sign up early. This creates a sense of urgency and rewards loyal followers.
- Exclusive Offers. Use exclusive content teasers to attract new sign-ups. Offering sneak peeks or behind-the-scenes footage can generate excitement and anticipation for your launch.
Marketing Strategy
Once your launch window has closed, it’ll be time to move on to marketing your online television network with ongoing efforts to continue to grow your subscriber base.
To drive ongoing subscriptions and engagement, here are a few tried-and-true strategies that we’ve seen work for thousands of platforms:
- Free Trials. Offer a free trial period for all subscription plans to lower the entry barrier for new users. This allows potential viewers to explore your content and become invested in your network.
- Exclusive Content. Provide exclusive content as a free teaser to attract new viewers. This could include special episodes, bonus material, or early access to new releases.
- Content Partnerships. Collaborate with other creators to reach new audiences. Joint promotions and guest appearances can introduce your network to their followers and expand your viewership.
- Engage with Your Audience. Use social media and community features on your platform to engage with your viewers. Respond to comments, host Q&A sessions, and encourage feedback to build a loyal community.
- Analytics and Optimization. Continuously monitor your platform’s performance using analytics tools. Track viewer engagement, subscription rates, and content popularity to refine your strategies and improve your offerings.
Wrapping Up
With the right planning and execution, and the right video-hosting platform on your side, launching your own internet TV station or network can be straightforward and successful.
By understanding your audience, offering valuable content, and leveraging a robust platform like Uscreen, you can build a successful online TV network that engages viewers and generates recurring revenue.
Build, launch and manage your membership, all in one place.
