What is SVOD? Full Meaning of Subscription Video On Demand
Published On July 1st, 2024 Media & Monetization
To earn a quick buck from your streaming service isn’t that big a deal, after all. In fact, there are a good number of revenue models to help you with this instant income generation. But, how consistent is this for your OTT business? Does this help you sustain yourself in your niche industry in the foreseeable future?
Ad-based and pay-per-view income styles are of course rewarding; however, subscription is the undisputed winner when discussing a long-time recurring revenue stream.
Table of Contents
What is SVOD?
SVOD or the Subscription Video on Demand is a means of bringing in earnings by providing your audiences access to your entire content library, in most cases through a monthly or annual fee. These subscription plans are automatically renewed until opted out by the user. Consider it getting paid on a month-on-month or yearly basis for the entire collection of audio or video content you own.
What do people love the most about SVOD?
1) It typically puts no pressure on the user as the subscription can be canceled at any time and not bound to any contractual agreement.
2) Audiences believe subscriptions hold a great value for money considering the wide range of content available for consumption.
The Rising Demand for SVOD Monetization
Over the years, the now-market giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney +, and Apple TV have all adopted the SVOD model for some very good reasons like the ones mentioned above. Today, there is absolutely no turning back for them as their demand is only advancing with every passing day. Holding the maximum market share, subscription-based services are expected to generate a whopping USD 71,237 million in revenue by the end of 2021 while Statista has projected the same to surpass USD 108,306 million five years from now. And as always, the United States heads the game with most subscription users from the country.
How Is SVOD Different From Other Monetization Models?
While every revenue model is different and has its own pros and cons, subscription-based platforms have an edge over other monetization styles in strategically being highly profitable and helping OTT services sustain themselves in the industry with very few hiccups.
| Monetization Models | SVOD
(Subscription Video on Demand) | AVOD
(Ad-Supported Video on Demand) | TVOD
(Transactional Video on Demand) |
| Revenue Generation Style | Small recurring fee based on monthly/ yearly plans | Payment from advertisers depending on views | Income through buy/rent option |
| Content Access | Unlimited access to entire catalog of content | Free content | Pay-per-view basis |
| Duration of Access | As long as the subscription is paid | As long as the user prefers | Limited window of 24/48 hrs for rented videos
Forever access for videos that are purchased |
| Who can adopt? | Solutions with huge content libraries | Solutions with a massive audience base | Solutions with premium/ exclusive/ seasonal content |
| Ads | Ad-free experience | Skippable/ Non-Skippable Ads
Premium users can choose to remove ads | Can be implemented by ad-supported platforms as well |
| Market Players | Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max | YouTube, Crackle, Pluto TV | Apple iTunes, Google Play |
When Can a Streaming Business Monetize with SVOD?
There is definitely no hard and fast rule when it comes to monetizing your streaming service. OTT is a rather new technology and market players who have made it big now initially did experiment with their business models before channelizing their revenue streams. Adopt SVOD when
- You have a large content library at your disposal
- Your model is specific to a particular niche
- Ready to invest in original/ exclusive content from time to time
- Willing to spend in acquiring new subscribers & retain the existing ones
- Can offer a free trial to attract viewers
- You will continually tweak content based on viewer-led behavior
- Open to flexible plans
- You are on the lookout for a recurring passive income stream
Market Giants Who Have Mastered SVOD
The success stories of streaming services that have picked SVOD as their business model is something well known and here is a curated list of some of the market biggies.
Netflix |
Amazon Prime Video |
Disney+ |
Hulu |
HBO Max |
| An OTT giant with the largest subscriber base, Netflix has surpassed 203 million active subscribers worldwide. | A hybrid business model (TVOD+SVOD), Amazon Prime has also hit the 200 million subscriber count. | With more than 100 million subscribers, Disney+ is climbing the success ladder pretty fast, showcasing content variety at its best across 59 countries. | Video hosting platforms thousands of movies & TV shows, Hulu is growing steadily with its 39 million paying subscribers. | Projected to acquire around 70 million subscribers by the end of 2021, HBO is an OTT venture by the popular American cable television network of the same name. |
Recommended Reading
Paywalls for SVOD Monetization
Paywall is a type of restriction set for accessing OTT platform content for free which is otherwise accessible only to paid subscribers. The most important aspect of a paywall is that it allows a user to access the content library only after the payment is complete.
Streaming video on demand business can either choose between implementing a ‘soft paywall’ (free access to a certain amount of content is provided before prompting the user to subscribe) or a hard paywall (Users can’t watch any content without a subscription).
Many of the streaming players have integrated subscription paywalls to their platforms to protect videos from inappropriate access. You can ideally purchase a third-party paywall or invest in a streaming solution that comes with an integrated paywall, the latter being more profitable in any case.
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Benefits of Adopting SVOD
Adopting SVOD over other pricing models definitely has an edge in profit-making. However, it is also crucial to remember that not all businesses can have the benefit of subscription plans, probably because of not owning niche content or not being able to invest in original content.
Reliable Revenue for Years
As mentioned above, audiences pay a recurring fee on a month-on-month basis or annually without having to renew their video subscription platform every now and then. This ensures you as a service owner are guaranteed a regular income stream as long as users continue to pay.
Loyal Subscribers
Since most SVOD models own niche-specific content, you’re sure to earn devoted audiences who stick with you for long unlike audiences with advertising video on demand(AVOD) (More differences between SVOD vs AVOD). The more niche your content is, the more likely you are to earn audiences who’ll return to you for newer content from time to time.
Pricing Freedom
SVOD services often tend to invest in original content to retain customers and because these pieces of content are exclusive to the VOD platform, there are really no pricing restrictions a business owner is bound to. The pricing window is quite large and can be altered any time depending on the value of the content offered.
For instance, the basic Netflix plan starts from $8.99 whereas Disney+ offers monthly plans starting from $7.99. So, there is no definite rule for pricing content and it all depends on factors like average revenue per user (ARPU), churn rate, etc.
Crowd Favorite
Facts and figures have always proved that subscription-based services attract more audiences than any other pricing model. Moreover, with the popularity of SVOD models increasing like never before, it is definitely something that businesses must adopt to reach a wider audience base.
Creating Subscription Plans with VPlayed
Monetizing your content with VPlayed is as easy as pie considering the fact that it’s an all-inclusive streaming solution with a commendable CMS that eases your subscription journey for sizable profits. Learn the top 10 features of a content management system!
- Create subscription plans of your choice directly from the dashboard.
- Give your plan a name based on whether it is basic, standard, or premium.
- Decide over a weekly, monthly, or annual billing cycle.
- Price your plan based on market research and competitor pricing.
- Mention the duration of your plan (Number of days after which you can choose to implement auto-renewal options or manually make the user subscribe once the plan expires).
- Set device limit-This is to restrict the number of screens a user can sign into based on the type of the plan.
Content consumption has come a long way from traditional cable/ television packages to flexible pricing models. SVOD services in specific hold a high value for money and are loved by millions of OTT audiences across the globe for the very same reason. So, to benefit content creators, publishers, distributors, and business owners with video monetization platform & their content with this popular revenue model, VPlayed helps build a new-age subscription solution that excels on all monetary fronts. With no further thoughts, sell your content online with the most applauded income model that has ever existed and something that supports a wide range of industries including education, entertainment, sports, fitness, and Live stream church service.
If You Already have an idea about launching a Video Monetization Platform, Schedule a free demo and We’ll Get You On The Road To VOD Streaming Success!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
SVOD stands for subscription video on demand. This refers to video subscription services in which users need to subscribe to in order to access the online library filled with your curative assets. For an instance, let’s presume consumers are paying for long-tile content such as web series, premium movies, etc. Then they’ll get to watch these content because all of them come under SVOD package.
Subscription video demand has been booming in the streaming industry for many years. It empowers content streamers by providing their customers with what they want to watch. This is the key reason why audiences are turning away from cable or traditional means of entertainment & adopting SVOD platforms. Therefore, businesses get a direct line of income via building consumer relationship without the need to sell content to only advertisers. Also this has added benefit for viewers to enjoy services without any interruptions in between.
In order to start SVOD services from the scratch there are few things that you’ll need & they are: Online platform technology which easies overall viewing experience for your consumers. Then to justify the price make sure your platform have best login capabilities with paywalls in between along with device compatibility. Many subscription video on demand providers like you will need to provide proper tools in order to monetize content from any subscriber-base.
When it comes to revenue per subscriber on your own video platform there comes about much higher revenue as compared to consumer-grade platforms. Subscription costs in SVOD are usually kept minimal while comparing the aggregated costs of cable membership. And that means there will be a constant flow in revenue streams. Also, users can get an option to easily opt for multiple subscriptions to VOD platforms, without having money to burn totally in other entertainment sources. Thus it is a sustainable model from both video creators as well as consumer’s perspective.
We come to know about SVOD business is an ideal option to monetize your set of content as you tend to gain users who pay a recurring fee on monthly or yearly subscription to access your content. This is the time you know you are much confident about building a loyal audience. Luckily, research shows that the estimated revenue from the usage of SVOD are expected to constantly grow in the foreseeable future.
When you have decided to start an SVOD service, it becomes vital for you to choose a perfect best OTT platform provider. This is because your targeted viewers ultimately need the control of what they watch, whenever & wherever they want to. So make sure that SVOD services you create have different access levels at varied price points. This makes it convenient for a wider audience to avail them. Besides that, it is necessary to have customizable solution, a centralized storing hub for your assets, tech-stack to deliver content with buffer-free experience, & lots more.
I am looking to make an SVOD streaming service that will allow for on-demand classes, essentially like a group video so the student can see the teacher, and the teacher can see all the students, is that something we can do? What would the cost look like?
Dears, We are searching for a solution to create our own SVOD platform for our media group. Can you please advise on your pricing Best and demo session? Thanks, Advance
We are interested in monetizing our content by starting an SVOD service. Need your suggestion to create, build and SVOD monetize our content through a streaming platform. Thanks
Hi, I would like to have a demo of the system to check if it would suit our needs or launch our own svod subscription video service. Can you please arrange the 1-1 session for us.
We need to start an SVOD monetization & customized it as per our need for delivering our 200 hrs. of video subscriber content in USA. Kindly reach out at the earliest with pricing factors and features.
Interested in a demo that fully describes what is SVOD, to see if it’s a good fit to create SVOD platform for my new streaming business. Also need experts suggestion to make more successful by generation 4x revenue. Thanks, Advance
Hey, we would love to test your SVOD platform as we are in the process of building a video monetization platform for our services. Already using another one, but not satisfied. So willing to migrate to another third-party streaming company. Kindly arrange a demo for us. Thanks
A very useful article about what is SVOD? Is it necessary to make a combined monetization platform and benefits for our video services? How to do it with the VPlayed on demand? Thanks
I am looking to build a streaming platform that allows SVOD, LIVESTREAM and Donations. Would like your pricing list for the levels of platforms you offer
Hello, We are a company that exclusively provides SVOD content from the First Tunisian Channel Elhiwar Ettounsi… We plan to acquire an OTT solution for the distribution of our content (web, mobile applications, etc.). Thank you for giving Us the possible offers knowing that in the month of Ramadan we have new content which can reach a minimum of 200,000 users and a flow of a minimum of 350 TB per month.
Hello, I’m Júlio Santos, entrepreneur and I intend to buy a svod streaming service that allows to transmit SVOD & SV-tv or live tv We would like to receive information such as prices, proposals or contacts of the department, person, responsible for this feat. Thank you, I look forward to feedback!
Hello, I’m looking for a service to start my own online academy and found Vplayed during my searches. Before going much further I’d need to know more about the price point to see if it’s inside my start up budget. I’m looking to host quite a few videos mainly based for a subscription video on demand plan for my members. Can you provide me with some more information before we take things further?
Hello, Looking to get a SVOD service where members can choose from two tiers of subscriptions that gives them access to a database of uploaded yoga videos where I own all of my content.
Hi, We are interested in purchasing a self-hosted OTT website solution supporting SVOD streaming, payment gateway, and customer DB.
Hi, Interested in charging monthly/annual SVOD platform and hopefully embedding the members-only videos on my Google site. Thanks!
Hi! We currently have 6 SVOD businesses and are looking at changing platforms. We are most concerned about member usability, live stream functionality, and app support. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!
Hi, I would like to know about your packages & what is svod, i want to start with an SVOD for kids platform. Send me the detailed packages. If i have 10k subs n if i have 100k 0.5m and a million, how would it affect the price. Thanks
Hi, Docu TV is a platform connecting Israeli filmmakers with their audience. I would like to hear more about the option of PPV and SVOD meaning with your technology. Thank you,
Hi, We are interested in purchasing a self-hosted OTT website solution supporting SVOD monetization, payment gateway, and customer DB.
Hello, I am the founder of BLK Beetles. At BLK Beetles, we believe that wellness is done better together because agency over our well-being involves a sense of belonging and community. We are in process of creating a subscription (SVOD) base fitness community that gives individuals access to on-demand and live stream content from inclusive focused gyms, studios, and wellbeing apps from anywhere in the world. With this in mind, we are interested in learning more about the platform and VPlayed’s white label solution.
Good day, How are you? I am a dj, music producer, and I own my small independent record label. What is the cost for your audio streaming ott platform to integrate to my website so that my fans can stream all my original music? I have a catalog of 100-500 songs and I’m constantly adding to it. I don’t make any money from streaming my music on dsp’s like Apple Music and Spotify because the pay rate is too low. I would rather my fans stream directly to my website and pay me a subscription. I would want the ott platform to have my logo/brand name on the SVOD streaming service site instead of VPlayed. Please advise.
Hi, Interested in charging monthly/annual svod streaming and hopefully embedding the members-only videos on my Google site. Thanks!
Hi, So how much is the price? Is it a video subscription platform or one time payment? Lastly I am interested in having a Wix video channel website & looking to monetize them with video ads or in this case SVOD’s.
Hi, I am looking for a video CMS for my educational SVOD service-based business. Something similar to what Udemy offers, but on a much smaller scale. I offer video-recorded training to parents and students.
Hi, GNFC is Looking to create an International SVOD platform, where users can see Georgian heritage movies for free after registration/subscription. One of the key things for us is that the platform must be Fast and Light, security from stealing the films, while watching movies shouldn’t freeze or crash and having multiple apps – for Desktop, Mobile app (Android/iOS), Smart TV. Also the platform must have 2 languages – Georgian and English. In this year we are planning to upload approx. 20 heritage films.
Hi I would like your advice on which products you supply to achieve our business goals. I want to produce for example a salesperson video for the full range of Toyota cars for a local dealership. One video per car. The videos will be a quick summary of about 75 seconds each so that when a potential customer visits the dealership website they can get the Prius video. For this service I intend to sign the dealership on a monthly subscription (SVOD). Obviously the customer does not pay to watch the video, the dealership pays me to host their videos. Is that possible and if so please advise how I can use your services to achieve my goals. Thank you and please let me know
Hi there, I’m interested in seeing an all-in-one streaming service that is white labeled for sports event production with monthly subscription video on demand.
Hi, I would like to create a subscription based platform for kids films. Please advise
I’m looking for a solution to quickly build a SVOD Service for about 200-2000 users. There will be about 300 minutes (60 x 5mins) of videos to start with and 150 minutes (30 x 5mins) more every month. What would be the total cost for this?
Hi there Please I would like to know how much your plan prices for SVOD, VOD or web tv platform. Thank You
Hi, I need to know what svod stands for/TVOD with 3 packages of monthly subscriptions. I expect to have about 1000 users in the first year. I need about 100GB of storage.
We are looking to launch a VOD platform for our TV channel and Radio station based on a FAST and SVOD business model.
Dear Contus, I’m keen to know more about your platform as part of a client request to upgrade their existing SVOD platform this Autumn. Kind regards
Hi There, I am gathering quotes from SVOD platform creators. Will you please provide a rough estimates of costings to begin using your platform please. Regards Fintan
Hi, Looking to add a SVOD feature in our iOS and tvOS apps as part of an existing auto-renewable subscription
I am looking to build a streaming platform that allows svod streaming service, LIVESTREAM and Donations. Would like your pricing list for the levels of platforms you offer
Hello, I’m looking for a service to start my own online academy and found VPlayed during my searches. Before going much further I’d need to know more about the price point to see if it’s inside my start up budget. I’m looking to host quite a few videos mainly based for a SVOD and plan for my members. Can you provide me with some more information about svod definition & how it works before we take things further?
Hi, Looking to get a SVOD streaming where members can choose from two tiers of subscriptions that gives them access to a database of uploaded yoga videos where I own all of my content.
Hello, We are interested in purchasing a self-hosted OTT website solution supporting SVOD, payment gateway, and customer DB.
Hi, I am planning to start new project with SVOD. Looking for best frame in backend with strong technology support. It should fit to our business needs with reasonable cost. Ideally own brand, domain, websites and even mobile apps. Hope we can meet soon!
I’m looking for a solution to quickly build a SVOD Service for about 200-2000 users. There will be about 300 minutes (60 x 5mins) of videos to start with and 150 minutes (30 x 5mins) more every month. What would be the total cost for this?
Hi , Small Business Inquiry I am doing some research for my sister. She wants to create a subscription based website for SVOD streaming service. Krys wants the host to guide her to use video editing systems that work seamless with vplayed. She wants to create her website using vplayed templates if possible or interested in knowing if the google domain website builder works well with vplayed. The goal is to price uploading video that are at minimum 44 minutes +. Please advise.
Hi there, I want to make a SVOD platform like Netflix or Amazon Prime. Please I would like to know how much your plan prices for SVOD, VOD or web tv platform. Thank You
Hello, I need an subscription video on demand with 3 packages of monthly subscriptions. I expect to have about 1000 users in the first year. I need about 100GB of storage.
Hi, We are looking to launch a VOD platform for our TV channel and Radio station based on a FAST and SVOD platform business model.
Dear, I’m keen to know more about your platform as part of a client request to upgrade their existing SVOD streaming platform this Autumn. Kind regards Iain
Hello, I would like to know what does svod stand for & Ihave a fitness SVOD service and currently am using Uscreen. I am planning to migrate to another OVP. What is Vplayed pricing?
Hi There, I am gathering quotes from SVOD platform creators. Will you please provide a rough estimate of costs to begin using your platform please & need the SVOD meaning. Regards
Looking to add a SVOD feature in our iOS and tvOS apps as part of an existing auto-renewable subscription. Is it possible to create a platform?
Hey guys, Looking for an SVOD platform and ability to stream Live HD video behind a paywall (PPV). we additional looking for fully scalable streaming platform (SVOD)
Team, We’re a TV network in Kenya, and interested in exploring digital options (even though the cost of data is currently exceedingly high for most families in the country). Interested in SVOD, live-streaming.
Hi, I am planning to start a new project with video subscription platform. Looking for the best frame in the backend with strong technology support. It should fit our business needs with reasonable cost. Ideally own brand, domain, websites and even mobile apps. Hope we can meet soon!
Hello, I’m looking for a solution to quickly build a SVOD streaming service for about 200-2000 users. There will be about 300 minutes (60 x 5mins) of videos to start with and 150 minutes (30 x 5mins) more every month. What would be the total cost for this?
Hi,Small Business Inquiry I am doing some research for my sister. She wants to create a subscription based website for SVOD, and what subscriptions is? Krys wants the host to guide her to use video editing systems that work seamlessly with vplayed. She wants to create her website using vplayed templates if possible or is interested in knowing if the google domain website builder works well with vplayed. The goal is to price uploading videos that are at minimum 44 minutes +. Please advise.
Hi, I want to make a subscription video on demand like Netflix or Amazon Prime. I would like to know how much your plan prices for SVOD, VOD or web tv platform. Thank You
Hello, I need a video subscription/TVOD with 3 packages of monthly subscriptions. I expect to have about 1000 users in the first year. I need about 100GB of storage.
Hi, We are looking to launch a VOD platform for our TV channel and Radio station based on a FAST and SVOD business model.
Dear VPlayed, I’m keen to know more about your platform as part of a client request to upgrade their existing SVOD platform this Autumn. Kind regards Iain
Hello, I have a fitness SVOD service and currently am using Uscreen. I am planning to migrate to another OVP. What is VPlayed pricing?
Informative article for the audience to know about the subscription SVOD meaning and definition with its delivery modes. Is it possible to stream the subscription video content on multiple devices at the same time?
Very informative article. Subscription video on demand (SVOD) is a version of SVOD which allows customers to access video content soon right? What about the traditional releases in movie theaters.
Thanks.
Thanks for sharing about the high-quality SVOD subscription video. Professionally produced content delivered to highly engaged audiences through curated user experiences in a brand-safe context. Well explained.
Through this article, we could know the meaning & definition of subscription SVOD with regular servers as in that video platform.
This article clearly explains what is svod? & who needs a subscription video platform & streaming server and how will it benefits them
The article explains what is svod, how to choose a subscription video on demand, and all the technical terms. Thanks
SVOD subscription video platform is the perfect streaming solution if your organization is concerned with security, privacy, and easy integration with existing networks. Looking to discuss it.
Nicely explained about what is Svod and also I want to have a subscription video platform with the server, tell me the cost.
I learned what is SVOD? & Lots of features of Subscription video platform this gives the clear clarity of its uses.
I want to build a subscription video on demand for video streaming for both the website and the app kindly tell me the packages.
I’m from the entertainment business, I want to build a subscription Svod video website. Kindly tell me the pricing