Over 1.2 billion hours of video content gets streamed globally every single day—that's enough to watch every film ever made about 50 times over! The entertainment streaming market has exploded beyond anyone's wildest predictions, and Netflix sits right at the top of this mountain. But here's the thing that gets me excited: there's still room for new players if you know what you're doing.
I've worked with dozens of clients who want to build the "next Netflix" and I'll be honest—most of them underestimate what it takes. They think it's just about having good content and a nice-looking app. Wrong! Netflix didn't become a global powerhouse by accident; they've spent years perfecting features that keep users glued to their screens and coming back for more.
The difference between a streaming app that succeeds and one that fails isn't the content library—it's how intelligently you present that content to your users
Building an entertainment app that can compete with Netflix means understanding what makes their platform so addictive. From their legendary recommendation engine to seamless video streaming across devices, every feature serves a purpose. This guide will break down the technical and design elements that separate the winners from the wannabes in the streaming world.
Understanding Netflix's Core Streaming Features
Netflix didn't become the streaming giant it is today by accident—it built a solid foundation of features that work brilliantly together. When I look at what makes Netflix tick, there are several key streaming features that any entertainment app needs to nail if it wants to compete in the increasingly crowded streaming services market.
The platform's success comes down to getting the basics right first. Netflix streams video content smoothly across different devices, adjusts quality based on your internet connection, and lets you pause on one device then continue watching on another. These aren't flashy features, but they're the backbone of what users expect from any streaming service.
The Must-Have Streaming Features
If you're building an entertainment app, you'll need these core streaming capabilities that Netflix has perfected:
- Multi-device streaming that syncs your viewing progress
- Automatic quality adjustment based on connection speed
- Fast loading times with minimal buffering
- Support for different video formats and resolutions
- Reliable playback controls (pause, skip, rewind)
- Subtitle and audio track options
The thing is, users don't really notice these features when they work well—they only notice when something goes wrong. That's why getting your streaming foundation solid is so important before you start adding bells and whistles.
Video Quality and Adaptive Streaming Technology
The backbone of any successful video streaming app is its ability to deliver crisp, smooth video without buffering. Netflix has mastered this through adaptive streaming technology—a system that automatically adjusts video quality based on your internet connection speed. When your WiFi is strong, you get ultra-high definition; when it's weak, the quality drops to prevent that annoying spinning wheel of doom.
Multiple Quality Options
Your entertainment app needs to support various quality levels: 480p for basic viewing, 720p for standard HD, 1080p for full HD, and 4K for premium experiences. The streaming technology should seamlessly switch between these without interrupting playback. This isn't just about having good technology—it's about keeping users happy when their internet connection fluctuates throughout the day.
Technical Implementation
Behind the scenes, adaptive streaming works by breaking videos into small chunks and encoding each chunk at different quality levels. Your app continuously monitors network conditions and downloads the appropriate quality chunk. This means users spend less time waiting and more time watching, which is exactly what keeps them coming back to your app instead of switching to competitors.
Start with at least three quality levels (480p, 720p, 1080p) and ensure your streaming technology can switch between them in under 2 seconds—any longer and users will notice the transition.
User Experience and Interface Design
When people open your entertainment app, they're making a split-second decision about whether to stay or leave. Netflix gets this right because their interface feels familiar and comfortable—users don't need to think about where to find things. The home screen shows content immediately, with large, appealing thumbnails that make browsing feel effortless.
Keep Navigation Simple
Your app needs clear sections that make sense to everyone. Categories like 'Continue Watching', 'New Releases', and 'Popular Now' work because they match how people actually think about content. Netflix uses a simple bottom navigation bar with just five main sections—any more than that and users get confused.
Make Everything Feel Fast
Nothing kills the mood like waiting for screens to load. Your app should respond instantly when someone taps something, even if the content takes a moment to appear. Show loading animations or placeholder images so people know something's happening. Netflix preloads thumbnails and uses smooth transitions that make the whole experience feel polished.
The search function needs to work brilliantly too—people should find what they want in seconds, not minutes. Auto-suggestions and voice search aren't just nice extras anymore; they're expected features that separate good apps from stellar apps.
Content Discovery and Recommendation Systems
Right, let's talk about the magic behind Netflix that keeps people glued to their screens—the recommendation system. This isn't just some fancy algorithm throwing random suggestions at users; it's the beating heart of what makes Netflix so addictive. When someone opens the app, they're not greeted with a massive catalogue of everything available (which would be overwhelming), instead they see personalised rows of content that feel handpicked just for them.
The system works by tracking everything users do—what they watch, when they stop watching, what they skip, even how long they hover over a thumbnail. All this data gets fed into machine learning models that predict what each person might want to watch next. Your app needs similar intelligence built in from day one, not bolted on later as an afterthought.
Beyond Basic Recommendations
Netflix doesn't just suggest films and shows; it creates entire themed collections like "Dark Comedies with Strong Female Leads" or "Mind-Bending Sci-Fi". These micro-genres help users discover content they never knew existed. Your streaming app should categorise content in creative ways that go beyond standard genres.
The best recommendation systems don't just predict what users will like—they introduce them to content they didn't know they wanted to watch
The search functionality needs to be equally smart. Users should be able to find content by typing in actors, directors, moods, or even vague descriptions like "that film with the talking dog". Investing in robust search and discovery features will set your app apart from competitors who treat these as secondary concerns.
Personalisation and User Profiles
Netflix's biggest strength isn't just having loads of content—it's knowing what each person wants to watch. When you open Netflix, it doesn't show you the same homepage as everyone else. It shows you films and shows based on what you've watched before, what you liked, and even what time of day you're browsing.
Your entertainment app needs this same level of smart personalisation to compete. Users expect the app to learn their preferences and get better at suggesting content over time. This means tracking viewing habits, noting when people stop watching something, and remembering what genres they prefer on different days of the week.
Building Smart User Profiles
User profiles go beyond just storing a name and email address. Modern entertainment apps need to collect and analyse dozens of data points to create meaningful personalisation. The key is doing this without making users feel like they're being spied on.
- Viewing history and completion rates
- Time of day and device preferences
- Genre preferences and mood indicators
- Social features like shared watchlists
- Content ratings and review behaviour
Multiple Profile Support
Families share streaming accounts, so your app must support multiple profiles under one subscription. Each profile should feel completely separate—kids shouldn't see adult content recommendations, and parents shouldn't have their suggestions mixed up with children's cartoons. This feature alone can make or break user satisfaction for family accounts.
Offline Viewing and Download Capabilities
When Netflix introduced offline downloads back in 2016, they weren't just adding another feature—they were solving a real problem that millions of users face every day. Poor internet connections, data limits, and dead zones in coverage all make streaming a frustrating experience. Your entertainment app needs to tackle these same challenges if you want to compete.
The download feature isn't just about letting people watch content without internet; it's about giving them control over their viewing experience. Users can download shows before long flights, save movies for commutes through tunnels, or grab content when they're on good WiFi to avoid burning through mobile data later.
Technical Considerations for Downloads
Building download functionality means thinking about storage management, file compression, and security. You'll need to implement digital rights management (DRM) to protect content whilst making the download process smooth and reliable. Users should be able to see download progress, pause and resume transfers, and manage their stored content easily.
Start with a simple download system that works reliably before adding advanced features like smart downloads or automatic quality selection based on available storage space.
User Control and Flexibility
Give users options for download quality—some prefer smaller file sizes to save space, whilst others want maximum quality. Auto-delete features for watched content and download expiration dates help manage storage without manual intervention.
Performance Optimisation and Technical Requirements
Building an entertainment app that can compete with Netflix means getting the technical stuff right—and I mean really right. Users will delete your app faster than you can say "buffering" if videos take ages to load or keep stopping to buffer every few seconds.
The backbone of any streaming app is its content delivery network, or CDN for short. Think of it as having video servers dotted around the world so people can watch content from a server that's geographically close to them. This makes everything load much faster. You'll also need adaptive bitrate streaming, which automatically adjusts video quality based on someone's internet connection speed.
Server Infrastructure and Scalability
Your app needs to handle thousands of people watching videos at the same time without crashing. This means investing in cloud infrastructure that can scale up when lots of people are using your app—like during peak evening hours—and scale back down when it's quieter.
Device Compatibility
People want to watch content on their phones, tablets, smart TVs, and laptops. Your app needs to work seamlessly across all these devices and operating systems. Each device has different screen sizes and processing power, so your app must adapt accordingly while maintaining the same great user experience everywhere. This is where choosing the right development approach becomes crucial for performance.
Conclusion
Building a video streaming app that can hold its own against Netflix isn't about copying every single feature they have—it's about understanding what makes streaming work and then doing it brilliantly. We've covered the technical backbone you need: adaptive streaming that adjusts video quality automatically, rock-solid performance that won't leave users staring at loading screens, and the ability to download content for offline viewing.
The user experience side is just as critical. Your interface needs to be clean and intuitive; people shouldn't have to think about how to find what they want to watch. Smart recommendation systems and personalisation features aren't just nice-to-haves anymore—they're what keep users engaged and coming back for more content.
What I've learned from years of building apps is that users are incredibly unforgiving when it comes to streaming. If your app buffers constantly or crashes during their favourite show, they'll delete it faster than you can say "technical difficulties." But get the core features right—smooth streaming, great discovery, and reliable performance—and you'll have built something that can genuinely compete in the streaming space.
The bar is high, but it's not impossible to reach. Focus on nailing these fundamentals before you start thinking about fancy extras.
