Read ott blog posts at TO THE NEW Blog https://www.tothenew.com/blog Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:00:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 Building a Scalable OTT Player for Apple TV: Architecture and Best Practices https://www.tothenew.com/blog/building-a-scalable-ott-player-for-apple-tv-architecture-and-best-practices/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/building-a-scalable-ott-player-for-apple-tv-architecture-and-best-practices/#respond Fri, 31 Jul 2026 05:43:58 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=80909 Introduction As streaming services continue to evolve, users expect a seamless and feature-rich viewing experience across all devices, including Apple TV. While AVPlayerViewController offers a robust playback solution out of the box, modern OTT platforms often require greater flexibility to support custom branding, advanced playback controls, personalised content recommendations, analytics, advertisements, and DRM. Building a […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/building-a-scalable-ott-player-for-apple-tv-architecture-and-best-practices/feed/ 0 The Explanation Gap: A PM’s Lesson from a Live Escalation https://www.tothenew.com/blog/the-explanation-gap-a-pms-lesson-from-a-live-escalation/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/the-explanation-gap-a-pms-lesson-from-a-live-escalation/#respond Tue, 07 Jul 2026 19:23:12 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=80330 Introduction I have been managing OTT platform delivery for a few years now – coordinating releases across Android Mobile, iOS, Web, Smart TVs, and Fire TV. Most days, the work is rhythm: sprint cycles, release sign-offs, stakeholder syncs. But every once in a while, something breaks that rhythm, and how you respond in that moment […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/the-explanation-gap-a-pms-lesson-from-a-live-escalation/feed/ 0 Why your media empire needs GenAI now: Netflix-level personalization decoded https://www.tothenew.com/blog/why-your-media-empire-needs-genai-now-netflix-level-personalization-decoded/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/why-your-media-empire-needs-genai-now-netflix-level-personalization-decoded/#respond Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:34:22 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=79303 Hook: Experience vs Content Today, content is everywhere. Movies, shows, reels, podcasts, live streams—audiences are overwhelmed with choices across platforms. The problem is no longer content availability; it’s content discovery and OTT user experience.  Modern media platforms are not competing on content libraries alone anymore—they are competing on OTT personalization and user experience. This is why […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/why-your-media-empire-needs-genai-now-netflix-level-personalization-decoded/feed/ 0 Stream, Score, Repeat: How OTT Gamification Can Redefine Engagement https://www.tothenew.com/blog/stream-score-repeat-how-ott-gamification-can-redefine-engagement/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/stream-score-repeat-how-ott-gamification-can-redefine-engagement/#respond Mon, 09 Feb 2026 22:42:50 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=77567 Introduction We live in a time when content is unlimited, but attention is not. If you run an OTT platform, you understand the challenge. You’re not just competing on the quality of your library; you’re competing for habits. Currently, the OTT industry is facing something known as the “Engagement Ceiling Problem.” This happens when investing […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/stream-score-repeat-how-ott-gamification-can-redefine-engagement/feed/ 0 Why Churn Has Become the Business Model of OTT https://www.tothenew.com/blog/ott-churn/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/ott-churn/#respond Tue, 27 Jan 2026 09:46:05 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=77482 Understanding OTT Churn The rise of OTT platforms has transformed how people consume entertainment in their day-to-day life. Browsing among the movies and Web series varies among live sports and documentaries; users now have endless options at their fingertips. However, with intense competition comes a major challenge for OTT platforms: CHURN. In 2025, the “Golden […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/ott-churn/feed/ 0 Shorts: The New Currency of OTT Engagement https://www.tothenew.com/blog/shorts-the-new-currency-of-ott-engagement/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/shorts-the-new-currency-of-ott-engagement/#respond Fri, 26 Dec 2025 10:47:54 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=77174 Introduction OTT consumption is evolving – quietly, yet decisively. Long-form series and feature films will continue anchoring premium OTT platforms; the ways in which users discover and consume that content, however, are shifting. This shift towards snackable, mobile-first content aligns closely with broader media & entertainment industry trends, where speed, personalization, and engagement are redefining […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/shorts-the-new-currency-of-ott-engagement/feed/ 0 Kids OTT: How Streaming Platforms Help Parents Keep Viewing Safe https://www.tothenew.com/blog/kids-ott-how-streaming-platforms-help-parents-keep-viewing-safe/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/kids-ott-how-streaming-platforms-help-parents-keep-viewing-safe/#respond Tue, 25 Nov 2025 06:17:03 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=76856 In many households today, streaming platforms have become a primary source of entertainment. This is especially true for families with young children, where cartoons, educational shows, and animated movies are part of daily routines. As a parent myself, I often sit with my daughter in the evenings as she explores her favourite content on OTT […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/kids-ott-how-streaming-platforms-help-parents-keep-viewing-safe/feed/ 0 Mastering Personalization: A Guide to OTT Recommendation https://www.tothenew.com/blog/mastering-personalization-a-guide-to-ott-recommendation/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/mastering-personalization-a-guide-to-ott-recommendation/#respond Sat, 01 Nov 2025 03:56:52 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=76737 Personalization in OTT Mastering Personalization Mastering personalization takes some real work in the world of OTT recommendations. Streaming services push hard these days to get the perfect show or movie in front of the right viewer at just the right moment. The real trick to make it all click comes from those recommendation engines driving […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/mastering-personalization-a-guide-to-ott-recommendation/feed/ 0 From Sign-Up to Renewal: Building User-Centric Subscription Experiences in OTT https://www.tothenew.com/blog/from-sign-up-to-renewal-building-user-centric-subscription-experiences-in-ott/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/from-sign-up-to-renewal-building-user-centric-subscription-experiences-in-ott/#respond Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:11:09 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=76731 Introduction Managing subscriptions across multiple countries, currencies, and payment methods is one of the hardest problems in OTT. Every region comes with its own pricing logic, preferred payment partners, and entitlement rules – and before long, your “simple plan” starts fracturing into dozens of country-specific variants. Our Subscription Management Solution was built to simplify this […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/from-sign-up-to-renewal-building-user-centric-subscription-experiences-in-ott/feed/ 0 Watch Parties: The Next Frontier of Social OTT Experiences https://www.tothenew.com/blog/multi-device-sync-watch-parties/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/multi-device-sync-watch-parties/#respond Mon, 27 Oct 2025 06:01:26 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=76714 🎬 Watch Parties: Transforming OTT Social Viewing Over-the-top (OTT) streaming has already revolutionized how we consume entertainment; the next wave is making that consumption social and interactive. In modern OTT app development, integrating features like multi-device sync and watch parties is becoming essential to meet evolving audience expectations and enhance user engagement. With features like […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/multi-device-sync-watch-parties/feed/ 0 Video Start Time: The Hidden Metric That Defines OTT Success https://www.tothenew.com/blog/video-start-time-the-hidden-metric-that-defines-ott-success/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/video-start-time-the-hidden-metric-that-defines-ott-success/#respond Fri, 10 Oct 2025 07:42:31 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=76630 What is Video Start Time (VST)? The time it takes an app to begin playing any content after the user interacts with the “Play” button is known as the “Video Start Time” (VST). This metric is especially critical in OTT app development, where users expect near-instant playback, and even small delays can impact retention and […]

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]]> https://www.tothenew.com/blog/video-start-time-the-hidden-metric-that-defines-ott-success/feed/ 0 Advance caching of video content using Exoplayer(Media3) to reduce Video Start Time in OTT Apps https://www.tothenew.com/blog/advance-caching-of-video-content-using-exoplayermedia3-to-reduce-video-start-time-in-ott-apps/ https://www.tothenew.com/blog/advance-caching-of-video-content-using-exoplayermedia3-to-reduce-video-start-time-in-ott-apps/#respond Tue, 09 Sep 2025 03:52:41 +0000 https://www.tothenew.com/blog/?p=74615 Introduction If you’ve ever worked on an OTT application you must have heard such statements being made “The VST must be as little as possible” or “product team is observing spikes in user abandonment in cases where the VST is 2-3 seconds or more”. So, what is this VST and why should it be as […]

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