
OTT CMS Essentials: What Every Streaming Platform Should Have
In today’s digital world, the demand for on-demand video continues to rise, and OTT (Over-the-Top) platforms are at the center of this revolution. The backbone for every streaming platform is its Content Management System (CMS). An effective OTT CMS manages content, workflows, and enhances user experience. Here’s a breakdown of the essential features every OTT CMS should have to ensure an edge in the streaming industry.
Also Read: Top Challenges in OTT Content Management System
Content and Metadata Management

A powerful OTT CMS should provide tools to easily organise upload and edit content. A clean dashboard is important for minimising errors and maximizing efficiency.
A few of the must-haves for CMS Software are capability to upload in bulk, the ability to schedule content for streaming for a future date. Media editing tools and metadata management (Title, Description, Tags, Genres management)
Video Library Management

An advance CMS should support categorisation and organization of a vast video library by series, seasons, episodes and genre, all this while maintaining clear content and data.
A few of the key feature would be, support for serialised content along with smart filter and quick search through multi folder structuring.
Also Read: Why Every Broadcaster Needs a Traffic Scheduling System
Encoding and Transcoding

Your OTT CMS should integrate an adaptive streaming video encoding engine that supports multiple resolution and bitrates that can stream content across multiple devices and networks.
What you need to look for is a secure playback with DRM compatibility, multi format and multi device support. Automatic transcoding and cloud-based encoding.
Role Management and User Access

Managing who can access what content in OTT CMS as per their roles in the organisation is crucial as the teams grow. Granular user permission provides workflow effectiveness and ensures security.
Your CMS Software should include a two factor authentication and ability to set custom permissions. It should also include the ability to track user activities and audit logs along with role-based access control.
Also Read: From Playlists to Ads: How Radio Automation Software Simplifies Operations
Monetization Options with Flexibility

An advanced OTT CMS must support multiple and popular payment gateways, allowing your viewers to pay for their subscriptions.
A few essential tools to look out for in your CMS, promo and coupon code management, regional pricing and local currency support, revenue tracking and analytics integration. And support for AVOD, SVOD, and TVOD.
Multi Language support and Localization

Catering to a global audience means catering to different languages and cultures. Your OTT CMS should offer a localization tool to make your content available worldwide.
Here are a few things your OTT CMS should be able to do – metadata support for multiple languages, subtitle dubbing management and content scheduling as per different time zones.
Also Read: The Rise of FAST TV: What It Means for Content Owners
Personalisation and Recommendations

An OTT CMS integrated with a recommendation engines and analytics can improve user engagement and can personalise a user experience. The more personalised the experience is the longer the user stays.
Here are a few features that drive user engagement, profile management for viewers, resume playback and watch history. Smart content suggestion based on users watch algorithms.
Reporting and Analytics

Your CMS should be able to provide a detailed report about content performance, user viewing preferences and operation metrics.
A few of the must-have feature are, dashboards with real time views, user engagement details and device details.
Also Read: The Future of Broadcast Traffic: Automating Scheduling for Maximum Efficiency
Compliance and Security

Data breaches and content piracy pose as a major threat to OTT. Your CMS should be able to be able to prioritise secure content delivery and user data protection.
A few key protection areas are, secured API access, encrypted streaming and data storage and watermarking and regional compliance.
Conclusion
An OTT CMS is the foundation of all your streaming services. As the OTT platform continues to evolve, investing in a feature rich and flexible like BOSS STUDIO will ensure you provide a secure, seamless and engaging experience to your audiences every time.
Need help in setting up an OTT CMS for your platform? Let’s talk how BOSS Studio can get you started.