VOD (Video on Demand) is a content distribution model that allows viewers to select and watch video content at a time of their choosing, rather than at a scheduled broadcast time. VOD has become the dominant way people consume video, from Netflix and YouTube to corporate training platforms and online courses.
There are three primary business models for VOD platforms, each suited to different content strategies and audience types.
| Model | Full name | How it works | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| SVOD | Subscription VOD | Monthly/annual fee for unlimited access | Netflix, Disney+ |
| TVOD | Transactional VOD | Pay per view or rental | Apple TV, Google Play |
| AVOD | Advertising VOD | Free with ad breaks | YouTube, Tubi |
VOD and live streaming serve different purposes and have different technical requirements. VOD content is pre-recorded, transcoded, and stored, allowing for optimized encoding and quality. Live streaming is captured and delivered in real time, requiring low-latency infrastructure.
Creating a professional VOD platform requires several interconnected components: video hosting and transcoding, a customizable player, content management, user authentication, payment processing, analytics, and a branded viewing experience.
Videas brings together the pieces of a VOD platform. Your videos are uploaded to Mediasbox, which transcodes them and delivers them over HLS. Channels turns them into a branded channel on your own domain. Monetisation covers subscription, outright purchase and rental, with payments through Stripe and 15% commission on each sale. Analytics tracks plays, completion rate and the engagement heatmap. All hosted in France.
VOD stands for Video on Demand. It describes any system where viewers choose what they watch and when, as opposed to television broadcast on a schedule.
SVOD (Subscription VOD) charges a recurring subscription for unlimited access, like Netflix. TVOD (Transactional VOD) charges per title, as an outright purchase or a time-limited rental. Videas Channels supports both models.
No. The player shows no advertising and Videas inserts no ad breaks: the available models are subscription, purchase and rental. The absence of advertising is a deliberate property of the player, not an option to switch off.
Yes. Videas Channels provides the catalogue, the customisable player, monetisation, viewer account management and analytics, on your own domain and with no development work.
EUR 10 per month for the channel, EUR 10 more if you connect your domain, then usage: EUR 0.20 per hour of video stored per month, EUR 0.02 per gigabyte delivered with the first terabyte free. There is no subscription and no commitment.
15% of each sale. Payments run through Stripe, in a checkout carrying your branding, and you track revenue from the dashboard.
Yes. Stripe collects the money and verifies your identity as a seller; monetisation switches on once the account is connected.
No. Selling goes through a channel, at EUR 10 per month, because the channel is what carries viewer accounts, the catalogue and the checkout.
Yes. On a channel, a title can be reserved for registered accounts, for an active subscription, or for those who bought or rented it. Outside a channel, a private link, a password or domain restriction do the same job on a smaller scale.
Plays, watch time, completion rate and the engagement heatmap, which shows the passages viewers watch and the ones they skip. On a channel, where viewers have an account, measurement goes down to the registered user.