Upload a video and share it ahead for your viewers to watch at their own pace anytime, anywhere. That's a video on demand (VOD) for you!
But how do you set up such a video on-demand platform for your organization? What are the different options available within the market?
What if you need to create an internal private YouTube? Or stream videos like Netflix and charge a subscription from users.
This is a technology of the future and businesses are looking for ways to maximize its benefits.
Video on Demand (VOD) is when people can watch videos from a video library as and when they want, without being constrained to traditional broadcasting schedules.
A VOD platform facilitates that by allowing users to browse through a range of videos or playlists and view the ones that they want.
We interact with VOD platforms every day, often without realizing it. Platforms like Netflix, for example, allow users to access an extensive library of movies and TV shows. Viewers can watch whatever they want, whenever they choose, and on any device that suits their preferences. This flexibility is what makes VOD platforms so appealing.
Another example of a VOD platform is YouTube, where users can search through channels and view the content of their choice. Even watching videos on Facebook or Instagram is considered a part of a modern video on demand as you can watch the video instantaneously, without having to download it. By using this method, companies can later focus on Instagram monetization and make money with the platform.
"Some companies also post to Instagram from PC to ensure a better content quality."
On-demand video streaming is also possible on YouTube-like enterprise video platforms, where organizations can create their own corporate video library for all their corporate video content (both synchronous and asynchronous videos).
Asynchronous video content is another key feature of VOD platforms. For businesses, this means delivering on-demand videos like training sessions, product demonstrations, or even corporate communications.
These videos allow employees or customers to access the content whenever they need, without needing to be present in real time. This makes VOD an incredibly efficient tool for knowledge sharing, team collaboration, and communication.
For a deeper dive into Video on Demand and its evolution, visit our blog.
On-demand video is the opposite of live streaming, as it is pre-recorded, stored and then streamed whenever someone demands to view the video.
Live streaming (synchronous video streaming) is when the video is recorded and broadcasted in real-time and delivered to a user's device on the other end. Here is an article all about live streaming platforms.
The terms on-demand video and video streaming are often used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences. On-demand videos can either be streamed or downloaded. If a user watches a video without downloading it, it's called video streaming.
However, even if a user downloads the video to watch offline, it still qualifies as on-demand video (VOD) because they can choose when to watch it, independent of a live broadcast.
Though the terms VOD (Video on Demand) and OTT (Over-the-Top) are sometimes used interchangeably, they refer to distinct but related concepts.
OTT (Over-the-Top) is a subset of VOD. It refers to content that is streamed over the internet rather than through traditional cable or satellite TV. OTT applications deliver on-demand video content, like movies, TV shows, and entertainment, directly to the user's device.
While VOD platforms can operate under different models, OTT platforms are specifically known for offering subscription-based services like Amazon Prime (Transactional VOD), YouTube (Advertisement VOD), and Netflix (Subscription VOD). These platforms allow users to watch content at their convenience, offering various monetization strategies based on the viewing model.
In summary, VOD platforms offer flexible access to a wide variety of content, whether for internal or external business communication, while OTT services focus on delivering that content to a mass audience via the internet, often with subscription, transactional, or ad-based revenue models. By understanding these differences, businesses can better choose the right solution for their content delivery needs.
The concept of Video on Demand (VOD) emerged in the early 1990s, enabled by significant technological advancements in video compression and data transmission. Early trials, such as the Cambridge Digital Interactive Television trial in 1994, provided VOD services to 250 homes and schools connected to the Cambridge Cable network.
VOD remained a niche service until the early 2000s, when broadband internet adoption increased and video streaming technologies improved. Initially, VOD relied on basic HTTP technology, similar to how webpages were loaded. However, this method was inefficient for video delivery, leading to issues such as buffering and poor playback quality.
VOD was a costly thing back in the days when videos were shared using HTTP technology, similar to webpages and other files on the internet. Over time, things have changed, with YouTube coming into the picture in 2005 and the invention of technologies like HLS, video compression and adaptive bitrate streaming.
The VOD market has experienced substantial growth over the years. In 2023, the global VOD market size was valued at approximately $141.9 billion and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 15% from 2024 to 2032. This growth is driven by the increasing penetration of high-speed internet globally and advancements in streaming technology.
The VOD market was valued at $60 million in 2020, and is expected to grow at a 9.5% CAGR in the next 5 years. VOD platforms are replacing traditional channels such as broadcast TV or Video CDs, DVDs etc.
The adoption of VOD platforms varies significantly across different regions, largely due to disparities in internet connectivity and bandwidth availability. Developed economies with robust internet infrastructure—such as the USA, Norway, Canada, Luxembourg, and Sweden—showed the highest VOD user penetration rates in 2020. This widespread adoption reflects the growing demand for flexible, on-demand access to video content.
While media and entertainment remain the dominant sectors within the VOD landscape, its applications have expanded far beyond traditional entertainment. Businesses are now leveraging VOD platforms for a wide range of purposes, including corporate communication, employee training, event coverage, and customer education. This shift underscores VOD's growing importance not only as an entertainment tool but also as an essential medium for enterprise communication.
As the video on demand market continues to evolve and grow, businesses and content creators are finding innovative ways to maximize its potential for both internal and external use cases. The future of VOD looks bright, with an ever-increasing shift towards on-demand content and more advanced streaming technologies.
In the past, delivering video content to your intended audience came with its own set of challenges. But with the advent of the internet and the rise of Video on Demand (VOD) platforms, things have become much simpler. These platforms have solved many of the issues associated with traditional video delivery, like bandwidth challenges and compatibility issues, making it easier for content creators to reach a global audience and monetize their content.
When it comes to setting up a VOD platform, the simplest way to start is through public platforms like YouTube, but it's important to consider the platform's limitations as well.
YouTube offers the simplest and easiest way to host videos. It’s also free!
YouTube helps your videos to be organically searched through Google as videos on YouTube also rank for Google keywords.
YouTube automatically creates multiple renditions for your video files, which allows users with low internet bandwidth to also be able to watch your content.
Content creators are also provided basic video analytics (reach and engagements) as well as a detailed breakdown of viewer demographics - age, gender and geography.
YouTube, however, is not a video hosting solution and has limitations in terms of storage. You will not be able to retrieve your videos if they accidentally get deleted, or if your account gets blocked due to copyright violations etc. You’ll need to keep your video files downloaded as a backup.
YouTube is suitable for personal use, smaller organizations or organizations with simple requirements. YouTube doesn’t provide the features that would allow organizations to host videos and only restrict access to their internal audience. It does allow videos to be shared privately but it’s just limited to that.
But the most important drawback is that by uploading videos on YouTube, you give away certain content rights for these videos and this is one of the main reasons why organizations go towards using paid Video on Demand Platforms.
We did a whole blog on YouTube and why an organization should go for one of the corporate alternatives to YouTube. VIDZMO's secure enterprise video platform is a major player in this domain.
While YouTube is simple to use, it doesn’t address the more complex needs that businesses and large organizations face, such as security, compliance, and advanced integrations. Here's a look at some paid VOD alternatives that offer more enterprise-grade features, though each comes with its own set of limitations:
Here are a few other on-demand video platforms that you can opt for:
These platforms offer more robust features than YouTube, such as advanced security controls, custom branding, and better integration capabilities with other business tools.
For example, when it comes to sharing internal communications, training materials, or onboarding videos, some of the platforms listed above may not provide the necessary features to securely manage access and ensure compliance. Critical functionalities such as comprehensive internal controls and Single Sign-On (SSO) integrations may be lacking, leaving your sensitive content vulnerable.
If you're looking for an enterprise-grade solution that seamlessly handles both internal and external video on demand (VOD) streaming with enhanced security and flexibility, you'll want to explore options that offer much more than basic streaming.
For a deeper dive into the pros and cons of these platforms, be sure to visit our blog on the comparison of the best video on demand platforms, where we review each option to help you make an informed decision based on your specific business needs.
VIDIZMO offers a VOD platform that is suited for organization-wide use cases.
It provides all the features of YouTube with much more depth and has many other advanced capabilities. The solution is AI-powered, Gartner-recognized, and a Microsoft Gold Partner. Suffice to say, it is a highly secure platform for both internal and external streaming.
VIDIZMO allows you to create your own YouTube-like on-demand site/portal – with your own custom domain. It is a white-label VOD platform with custom branding capabilities.
Here are a few reasons why you should opt for VIDIZMO, a video distribution platform for on-demand streaming:
VIDIZMO is an enterprise video platform, which means that it provides a system for end-to-end video use cases.
Need to manage recorded Zoom meetings? Or Train employees internally? Or embed advertisement videos on your website?
You can use one system to do it all! Create sub-portals for departments or different use cases (internal or external). Brand them differently. Set custom security policies and independent admin controls with entirely separate billing.
Or you can start by using our system for one use case, and then scale it later. The decision is in your hands.
Content stored on your VIDIZMO portal can be segregated for different viewers. Organizations can select for each individual video file or group; whether these can be accessed by a certain individual, group, entire department or organization, or by anonymous users. Through Single Sign-On integrations, users and groups can be synced to improve access management.
You can temporarily share videos with audiences inside or outside the organization through expirable links or email. Unlike simpler platforms, VIDIZMO allows you to generate multiple links and expire them as needed. For email sharing, you can specify an email with which external participants would need to authenticate to view a video.
You can also define what recipients can do once they have the video; whether they can download, watch only once or twice, share ahead etc.
Learn more about sharing options in VIDIZMO.
VIDIZMO allows you to store videos and stream videos on Azure, AWS or any other government or public cloud or on-premise.
These cloud providers keep multiple copies of your data at separate places (data redundancy) to ensure data is safe from unexpected events, cyber threats, and natural disasters.
VIDIZMO also offers a data retention period for stored videos, which even after being accidentally deleted by a user, can be retrieved by contacting VIDIZMO support.
Speaking of security, VIDIZMO includes detailed features within the application to keep content secure. VIDIZMO offers FIPS-compliant end-to-end encryption for all video content. It includes password protection, SSO integration, Geo-restrictions, IP restrictions, role-based access controls, DRM support, and much more.
Learn more secure video hosting in VIDIZMO.
The VIDIZMO Portal is brandable and allows you to include your logo, theme, colors and even use your own domain. You can also create multiple custom video player templates for different use cases. Videos hosted on VIDIZMO are ad-free and offer no distractions to your audience.
VIDIZMO has many features powered by AI.
You can easily make your content accessible to a diverse audience by automatically generating accurate transcriptions and closed captions for videos through AI with further translation into 50+ languages.
You can even transcribe multilingual videos with up to 4 spoken languages (out of the 22 supported languages) or manually upload transcription files for any video.
Additionally, you can index spoken words, on-screen text, faces, objects, and other insights to improve search in a large library of videos.
No organization can operate in a silo these days. VIDIZMO is highly interoperable supporting seamless out-of-the-box integrations with all important business applications like LMS, CMS, CRM, etc to ensure smooth video playback within these systems.
Plus, with online meetings being commonplace, VIDIZMO can integrate with video conferencing tools to allows users to automatically ingest online meetings from Zoom, MS Teams, & others to make them available as VOD.
Asynchronous meetings are the need of the hour for more inclusive collaboration. Moreso, this saves users from the hassle of having to download recorded work meetings for future viewing. Plus, you can maintain a central knowledge base.
You can also contact our team to have a customized package developed as per your needs.
On-demand streaming is just one type of streaming. There are platforms for other types as well. You can read our detailed guide on video platforms to learn more about what this means.
As businesses increasingly shift towards digital communication and content delivery, setting up a Video on Demand (VOD) platform has become essential. VOD platforms offer flexibility, scalability, and security, enabling organizations to deliver content to both internal and external audiences on their own terms.
Whether it’s for employee training, customer education, marketing campaigns, or revenue generation through monetized content, VOD platforms provide a centralized solution for managing and distributing videos. The right platform not only enhances user engagement but also ensures compliance and security for sensitive corporate content.
Setting up a VOD platform involves several strategic steps, from defining clear business objectives to choosing the right technology and infrastructure. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to effectively set up a VOD platform tailored to your organization's needs.
Before diving into the technical setup, it’s crucial to define clear objectives and use cases for your VOD platform. This foundational step ensures that the platform aligns with your business goals and maximizes its impact. By understanding the specific needs of your organization and your audience, you can make informed decisions on platform features, security requirements, and content strategy.
Key Considerations:
These considerations help in crafting a well-defined content strategy and selecting the right platform with the necessary features to achieve your objectives effectively.
Internal Training and Onboarding
Corporate Communication and Knowledge Sharing
Marketing and Customer Education
Compliance and Security
Revenue Generation and Monetization
Selecting the right VOD platform is critical for fulfilling your objectives. Compare the following options:
YouTube and Public Platforms
Enterprise VOD Platforms (e.g., VIDIZMO)
OTT Platforms
Why Choose VIDIZMO for Enterprise Use
Internal Link: Compare more platforms in our detailed blog on Best Video on Demand Platforms.
Proper content preparation is vital for enhancing user experience and discoverability. Follow these best practices:
Organize Video Library
Video SEO Optimization
Metadata and Tagging
Video Formats and Quality
Content Localization and Accessibility
Security is a top priority, especially for corporate and sensitive content. Configure robust access controls as follows:
User Authentication and Authorization
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Content Protection and Encryption
Compliance and Governance
Geo-Restriction and IP Blocking
Emphasize VIDIZMO’s Security Capabilities:
Choose the right hosting and streaming infrastructure for scalable and high-performance VOD delivery:
Cloud vs. On-Premise
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Integration with Existing IT Infrastructure
Why VIDIZMO?
Create a unique and branded video experience to engage your audience:
White-Label Branding
Custom Video Players
User Experience and Navigation
Language and Localization
VIDIZMO Advantage:
Testing and Quality Assurance
Launch Strategy
Performance Monitoring and Analytics
Ready to set up your Video on Demand platform? Explore VIDIZMO’s VOD Solutions.
Managing a Video on Demand (VOD) platform effectively requires strategic optimization, user engagement, and robust access management. Here are the best practices to ensure maximum visibility, enhanced engagement, and secure access control:
To maximize visibility and discoverability, optimize the following elements:
Pro Tip: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to identify relevant keywords and optimize your metadata accordingly.
To increase viewer retention and interaction, implement the following engagement strategies:
Pro Tip: Leverage VIDIZMO’s interactive video features to boost engagement through quizzes, polls, and clickable CTAs.
Advanced role-based controls are essential for maintaining security and ensuring the right audience accesses the appropriate content. Implement the following:
Pro Tip: Utilize VIDIZMO’s RBAC and SSO features for secure access management and compliance with industry standards.
Video on demand allows users to watch pre-recorded content at their convenience, making it a flexible and scalable solution for businesses and content creators.
VOD platforms are categorized into subscription-based, transactional, and ad-supported models, each catering to different business needs.
Unlike live streaming, which happens in real-time, video on demand content is recorded, stored, and accessed later by viewers.
OTT is a subset of VOD that delivers content over the internet, eliminating the need for traditional broadcasting methods.
The video on demand market is experiencing rapid growth and is projected to reach $159.62 billion globally by 2027.
YouTube, Netflix, and enterprise-focused solutions like VIDIZMO are among the most popular VOD platforms, each offering unique advantages and limitations.
Businesses leverage VOD for various purposes, including corporate training, marketing, internal communication, and customer education.
Enterprise video platforms like VIDIZMO provide enhanced security, branding options, and seamless integrations, making them suitable for organizations requiring controlled video access.
Setting up a VOD platform requires careful planning, including defining business objectives, selecting the right platform, optimizing content, and implementing strong security measures.
Optimizing video content for SEO, accessibility, and engagement is crucial for maximizing visibility, audience reach, and overall impact.
Setting up a Video on Demand (VOD) platform for business is a strategic investment that enhances communication, training, marketing, and customer engagement. By defining clear objectives, choosing the right platform, optimizing content, ensuring security, and leveraging advanced features, businesses can effectively reach their target audience while maintaining compliance and security standards.
With the rapid growth of digital content consumption, a well-structured VOD platform not only boosts brand visibility but also drives productivity and revenue.
Ready to take the next step? Explore VIDIZMO’s VOD solutions to create a customized, secure, and scalable platform tailored to your business needs.
What is a Video on Demand (VOD) platform?
A Video on Demand (VOD) platform allows users to stream video content whenever they choose, without being tied to a live broadcast schedule. It provides access to a wide range of videos, such as movies, TV shows, training videos, or corporate content, on any device, at any time.
How does a VOD platform work?
A VOD platform works by hosting and managing video content, which can be accessed via the internet. Users can either stream the videos in real-time or download them for offline viewing. The platform manages content storage, distribution, and user access, offering features like subscription models, pay-per-view, or ad-supported options.
What is the best Video on Demand platform for businesses?
The best Video on Demand platform for businesses depends on the specific needs of the organization. Vidizmo, for example, offers a white-label VOD platform that provides enterprise-level features such as secure video hosting, customizable branding, and integrations with other business tools. It also supports both internal and external streaming for a variety of business use cases.
What are White Label VOD platforms?
White label VOD platforms are customizable video streaming solutions that allow businesses to brand and host their video content under their own name, without the external branding of the platform provider. This gives organizations more control over the user experience and the look and feel of the video portal.
How do VOD video on demand services work for businesses?
VOD video on demand services for businesses provide a centralized solution for delivering video content to both internal and external audiences. These platforms allow companies to share training materials, corporate communications, product demos, or even live events securely and at the convenience of their viewers.
Are there paid video on demand platforms for businesses?
Yes, many paid video on demand platforms offer advanced features such as enhanced security, custom branding, analytics, and integration with other business tools. These platforms provide higher quality, scalability, and support compared to free platforms like YouTube, and they are designed for business-critical applications.
What are the key features of a VOD platform provider?
A VOD platform provider should offer several key features: secure video streaming, customizable branding options (white-label), content management tools, integration capabilities with other software, and support for multiple monetization models, such as subscription, pay-per-view, or ad-based content.
What is the difference between VOD and OTT platforms?
VOD (Video on Demand) is a general term that refers to streaming pre-recorded content, while OTT (Over-the-Top) refers specifically to content delivered via the internet, bypassing traditional cable or satellite TV services. OTT is a subset of VOD and typically refers to subscription-based services like Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Can I create a custom VOD platform for my business?
Yes, many VOD providers, such as Vidizmo, offer customizable, white-label VOD platforms. These allow businesses to build a fully branded video experience, with control over user access, monetization, and content management, tailored to their unique requirements.
What are the benefits of using a VOD platform for business?
Using a VOD platform for business offers numerous benefits, including the ability to deliver content to employees and clients globally, track video performance and engagement, securely host sensitive videos, and scale easily as your business grows. Additionally, it helps enhance internal communication and training efficiency.