Video content is becoming the top form of distributing information online. Over 85% of internet users prefer video over other forms of content.
This is shown through the popularity of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and other content forms.
YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine.
Moreover, the live video streaming industry is projected to have a valuation of more than $200 billion by 2030.
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Why are online video platforms (OVPs) necessary?
When it comes to video marketing businesses, sites like YouTube are not the best in the industry.
YouTube is a free online video hosting platform, but it doesn’t give the benefits of Online Video Platforms (OVPs).
OVPs provide benefits such as live streaming, monetization models, and video marketing support.
Below are some of the best online video platforms you can try out that are widely regarded as some of the best in the business.
We’ll also cover some common questions that you might have regarding any kind of OVP.
Best Online Video Platforms (OVPs)
#1 Uscreen
Uscreen’s OVP enables for live streaming and video-on-demand (VOD).
Using Uscreen, you can control all your uploads and successfully monetize them.
Accordingly, Uscreen is widely considered as the best OVP for monetizing videos.
It’s a great platform if you want to create an online course or any other type of video content that can be sold.
Uscreen also provides extensive support for live streaming, so it’s a good option if you plan on going that route.
The Uscreen team is highly supportive and always willing to answer any questions that you might have.
They frequently release new features based on customer feedback, which makes the whole experience much smoother.
Pricing:
The pricing plans start at $49 per month and go up to $399 per month.
There’s also an enterprise plan, which is based on custom pricing.
#2 Wistia
Wistia is widely regarded as a top platform for digitally marketing videos.
Wistia help your business find its best audience and get the most out of each video.
The platform’s video SEO capabilities are very impressive.
It also provides an in-depth analytics suite that helps you track your viewer’s engagement with your videos.
This way, you can optimize your content strategy accordingly.
Overall, Wistia is an excellent online video platform for businesses that want to get the most out of their video marketing efforts.
Pricing: Wistia enables you to start free and work your way up.
1. Free Plan
- Up to three videos or podcast episodes
- Up to 250 channel subscribers
- Split-testing feature
2. Pro Plan at $99/month
- Up to ten free videos or podcast episodes
- Up to 250 channel subscribers with email notifications
- Customized video player branding
3. Advanced Plan at Custom Prices
- Up to 100 free videos or podcast episodes
- Multiple video and podcast channels
- Over 250 subscribers with email notifications
#3 Vimeo
Vimeo is one of the most popular online video platforms with over 200 million monthly active users.
Vimeo is thought of as simply another platform like YouTube or Dailymotion, but it’s more geared toward professionals instead of the amateur vibe of a lot of YouTube content.
It is noted for its flexibility, offering multiple bitratings, encodings, and resolutions.
Pricing: Pricing starts at free and goes up from there:
1. Basic Plan at $0/month
- Forever free plan
- Limited storage and support
2. Plus Plan at $7/month
- 1 user
- Up to 250 GB uploads every year
- Unlimited bandwidth
3. Pro Plan at $20/month
- 3 users
- Up to one TB of uploads per year
- Unlimited Bandwidth
4. Business Plan at $50/month
- 10 users
- Total five TB storage
- No weekly limits
5. Premium Plan at $75/month
- Unlimited live viewers
- Unlimited live streams
- Total seven TB storage
#4 Setplex
Setplex is a popular OVP for OTT and IPTV.
Setplex will provide everything you’ll need for a complete OTT or IPTV solution, whether hosted on-premises or in the cloud.
Pricing: Pricing will depend entirely on your business, so you’ll need to get into contact with Setplex directly.
#5 Loom
Loom is a complete OVP.
It offers users the ability to webcam, record their screen, or both at the same time.
It also has a built-in video editor so you can edit your videos and add annotations.
Pricing: Pricing goes from free on up.
The free version allows up to five-minute recordings per video to test Loom out for themselves.
The Business plan start at $8 per month, and supports unlimited videos, unlimited recording length, unlimited creators, and more.
The Enterprise plan provides advanced admin and security for companies that want to stay up to speed on their cybersecurity. This plan is custom, so Loom will need to provide a quote after taking stock of what you need for your business.
#6 Brightcove
Brightcove is popular among large businesses.
The Brightcove OVP is good for large businesses and media companies to provide live, on-demand videos in HD quality to their audience.
The enterprise version of their software provides support for advanced analytics, dynamic ads, and OTT video.
With the enterprise solution, your business will retain full ownership rights over your videos. This is not the case with YouTube, where the content becomes theirs (i.e., becomes Google’s, which owns YouTube) and Google shares revenue from whatever the content generates.
It also helps ensure that your videos don’t suffer because of copyright infringement.
Brightcove focuses on large-scale external video distribution.
The platform integrates with other tools like Marketo and Google Ads Manager.
This helps enable multiple forms of marketing and hence greater ROI on your videos.
Pricing: Brightcove has three pricing plans but doesn’t publish prices. You will need to get into contact with them directly.
1. Starter Plan
- Up to 200 videos
- Up to 100,000 plays
- Up to 5 users
2. Professional Plan
- Unlimited videos
- Over 100,000 plays
- Over 10 users
3. Enterprise Plan
- Unlimited videos
- Over 100,000 plays
- User analytics
#7 Dacast
Dacast is a cloud-based OVP that positions itself as a solution for small and medium businesses.
It’s a good option if you need to live stream or on-demand video but don’t want to spend a lot of money.
Pricing: Dacast has pricing plans available for all types of businesses.
1. Starter Plan: $39/month
- Good for very small audiences
- 50GB storage
- 1080p broadcasting
2. Event Plan: $63/month
- Good for special events
- 50GB storage
- Real-time analytics
3. Scale Plan: $188/month
- Good for growing businesses
- One TB storage
- Advanced library management
Why use OVPs when you can just use YouTube?
This is an obvious question given YouTube is the king of video hosting.
However, there are several reasons why you should consider using an online video platform:
You can make money from your videos
With online video platforms, you can monetize your videos in ways beyond ads and generate revenue.
This is not possible with YouTube unless you are a part of their Partner Program (YPP), which requires 4,000 hours of watch time in the past year and 1,000 subscribers.
You have more control over your videos
With OVPs, you have more control over how your videos look and where they are hosted.
This means that you can customize your player to match your brand and ensure that your videos are always available.
You can reach a larger audience
Online video platforms typically have more features than YouTube, which means that you can reach a larger audience with your videos.
For example, online video platforms often offer embedding options so that your videos can be embedded on other websites.
You can get more detailed analytics
OVPs offer more detailed analytics than YouTube, which means that you can track how your videos are performing and make changes accordingly.
You can use videos for marketing
OVPs offer marketing features that YouTube does not, such as the ability to add call-to-actions to your videos.
This means that you can use your videos to generate leads and drive sales.
Confidentiality
If your videos contain sensitive business information then you can’t release them on YouTube to an open audience.
So security concerns become of greater importance.
Online Video Platforms – FAQs
What is the best online video platform?
There are a number of online video platforms available, each with its own set of features and pricing plans.
To choose the best online video platform for your business, you will need to consider your budget, your needs, and the features that are most important to you.
What are the most popular online video platforms?
The most popular online video platforms are YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia.
How much does an online video platform cost?
The cost of an online video platform varies depending on the features and pricing plans offered by the platform.
However, most online video platforms offer a free trial so that you can try out the platform before committing to a paid plan.
Which online video platform is best for live streaming?
There are a number of online video platforms that offer live streaming capabilities.
To choose the best one for your business, you will need to consider your budget, your needs, and the features that are most important to you.
Which online video platform is best for marketing?
There are a number of online video platforms that offer marketing features. Wistia is a popular choice.
How do I start using an online video platform?
To start using an online video platform, you will need to sign up for an account with the platform and then follow the instructions on how to upload and embed your videos.
Summary – Online Video Platforms
There are a number of online video platforms available, each with its own set of features and pricing plans.
To choose the best online video platform for your business, you will need to consider your budget, your needs, and the features that are most important to you.
The most popular online video platforms are YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia.
The cost of an online video platform varies depending on the features and pricing plans offered by the platform.
However, most online video platforms offer a free trial so that you can try out the platform before committing to a paid plan.
To start using an online video platform, you will need to sign up for an account with the platform and then follow the instructions on how to upload and embed your videos.