By Sampath Mallidi, CEO of Revidd · October 2026
If you own a TV channel, a station, a league feed, a faith network or a diaspora library, choosing an OTT platform comes down to six questions. Which screens does it reach? Does it run live, on demand and FAST in one place? Can it earn money? Who owns your audience? How fast can you launch? And what do you do if you need to leave? This guide gives you the questions to ask, a table to sort vendor types, and the cases where Revidd is not the right pick.
TL;DR: Choose the vendor type first, then the vendor. Creator tools suit solo creators. Video on demand first platforms suit libraries with no live channel. Large suites suit big internal teams. Managed distribution partners suit channels that want carriage on third party FAST services. A plug and play OTT and FAST platform suits a broadcaster with a lean team that wants its own apps on every major screen. Ask each vendor the questions below, in writing, before you sign anything.
How do you choose an OTT platform?
Start with your goal, not the feature list. Write down what you want in one line, for example: "Put our 24/7 channel and our archive in our own branded apps on Roku, Samsung, LG, Fire TV, Apple TV and mobile, and sell ads and subscriptions." Every vendor will say yes to a long feature list. Few will say yes to your one line.
Then check six things in this order:
Screens
Live, on demand and FAST in one platform
Ways to earn
Audience ownership
Launch speed and who does the work
Exit terms
The sections below take them one at a time.
Which screens does the platform need to reach?
Your viewers watch on the biggest screen in the house. For most US audiences that means a connected TV. Ask the vendor for a plain list of the devices it ships native apps on, and ask whether each one is built and updated by the vendor or by you.
Revidd ships native apps on Roku, Samsung, LG, Vizio, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, iPhone, iPad, Android and web. That is 50+ device endpoints from one integration. If a vendor gives you a player and a plan to "wrap it" yourself, count the extra work and the extra developers.
Do you need live, on demand and FAST in one platform?
Most broadcasters do. A station has a live channel and an archive. A faith network has live services and a back catalog. A diaspora channel has a daily schedule and a film library. If live, on demand and a 24/7 channel sit in three different tools, you pay for it in staff time, because someone has to keep three systems in sync.
Ask: can I run a scheduled linear channel from my library inside the same system that holds my on demand titles? Can viewers jump from the live channel to the archive in the same app? If you want to understand the channel side first, read our guide to turning a video library into a FAST channel.
How will the platform earn money for you?
Ask which of these it supports, then ask to see each one working in a demo:
Subscriptions (SVOD)
Ad supported viewing (AVOD)
Pay per view and rentals (TVOD)
A hybrid of the above
For ads, ask what the vendor actually does itself and what it hands to partners. Revidd supports SCTE-35 markers for your ad partners. If a vendor says "we do everything", ask for the written scope. Get a written quote that names every line item.
Who owns your audience and your content?
This is the question that decides whether you can ever leave. Ask four things:
Do my viewers sign up in my brand, or in the vendor's?
Can I export my viewer list and my content library, in full, at any time?
Whose name is on the store listings?
What happens to my apps and my data on the day I leave?
A platform that holds your audience hostage is not a platform. If switching later matters to you, our guide to migrating an OTT platform shows what a clean move looks like.
How fast can you launch, and who does the work?
Ask for a dated plan, not a promise. With Revidd, apps can be built in as little as 1 to 2 weeks. Then each store runs its own review, and that part is outside our control or anyone's. A vendor who guarantees a go live date for every store is guessing. For the full picture, see how long it takes to launch an OTT app.
Also ask who does the work. Will your team need engineers? A lean broadcaster usually does not have them, and should look for a vendor that does not require them.
Which type of vendor fits your channel?
Vendor names change. Vendor types do not. Sort by type first.
Vendor type | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
Creator and membership tools | Solo creators, coaches, small paid communities | Often not built for a 24/7 channel or a multi channel network |
Video on demand first platforms | A library with no live channel | Live and FAST can be an add on or a separate product |
Large suites for big media groups | Companies with a big internal technical team and a long project plan | Heavier projects, longer timelines, more staff on your side |
Managed FAST distribution partners | Channels that want carriage on third party FAST services | They place your channel on their partners' services. They are not usually built to run your own branded apps |
Video hosting and streaming infrastructure | Teams that want to build their own apps and workflows | You build and maintain the apps and the viewer experience |
Plug and play OTT and FAST platform (Revidd) | Broadcasters with a lean team that want their own apps, live, on demand and FAST in one place | Does not place your channel on third party FAST services for you |
The table is a map of types, not a ranking. Any single vendor may sit in more than one row, so check each one against your one line goal.
What should you ask in a demo?
Bring this list and write down the answers:
Show me the app on a Roku, a Samsung TV and a phone, with my logo, today.
Show me a scheduled channel and an on demand title in the same app.
Show me how an ad partner would receive markers from a live or linear channel.
Show me how I export my viewers and my library.
Tell me who files the store listings and whose account they sit in.
Tell me what I need to supply, and by when, to hit a launch date.
Give me everything in writing, including what is not included.
If the answer to any of these is "we will get back to you", note it. Slow answers before you sign usually mean slow answers after.
Does a TV station choose differently from a faith or diaspora channel?
The six questions stay the same. The weight changes.
TV stations care most about a live channel that mirrors the broadcast and an archive that keeps news and local shows on demand. See our page on OTT platforms for TV stations.
Faith networks care about live services, a 24/7 loop between services and a library that grows every week. See our guide for faith broadcasters.
Diaspora and regional language channels care about several languages, a viewer base spread across countries and apps that work on the TVs those viewers own. See our guide for diaspora streaming platforms.
Revidd powers streaming that reaches more than 38 million viewers and 5.2 million monthly active viewers across 15 countries.
When Revidd is not the right fit
We would rather lose a sale than win the wrong customer. Revidd is probably not right for you if:
You want carriage on Samsung TV Plus, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel or Tubi. Revidd does not place your channel on those services. Managed FAST distribution partners such as Amagi and Wurl specialize in that. You can run both, with Revidd for your own apps.
You are a solo creator selling a few courses or a small membership. A creator tool will be simpler.
You have a large internal engineering team and want to build every part yourself on raw infrastructure.
You only need to put a video on a web page. A hosting service is enough.
You need one off event streaming with no apps. A live event tool is a better match.
If you are weighing building against buying, read build versus buy for an OTT platform.
FAQ
What is the first thing to check when choosing an OTT platform?
Check which screens it ships native apps on and who builds them. If you need Roku, Samsung, LG, Fire TV and Apple TV, a web player alone will not do.
Do I need live, on demand and FAST in one platform?
Most broadcasters do. It keeps one library, one schedule and one set of apps, so a small team can run all three.
How long does it take to launch?
With Revidd, apps can be built in as little as 1 to 2 weeks. Store review comes on top and is outside our control.
Will Revidd get my channel onto Samsung TV Plus or Pluto TV?
No. Revidd runs your own branded apps and channels. Managed distribution partners handle carriage on third party FAST services.
How do I avoid getting locked in?
Ask in writing how you export your viewers and your content, and whose name is on the store listings. Get the exit terms before you sign.
Which OTT platform is best for a small TV station?
The one that covers a live channel, an archive and the TV apps your viewers use, without needing your own engineers. Use the six questions above to test any vendor, including us.
Next step
Bring your one line goal to a call. We will show you the apps, a channel and the library in one place, and tell you plainly if another route fits you better. Request a demo.
