---
title: "Media and Entertainment Software Development | Arbocode"
description: "We build streaming platforms with DRM, adaptive bitrate delivery and subscription billing, using Mux, Widevine, FairPlay and Stripe integrations."
url: https://arbocode.com/industries/media-entertainment
---

1. [Home](https://arbocode.com/)
2. [Industries](https://arbocode.com/industries)
3. Media & Entertainment

Industry

# Media & Entertainment Software Development

Streaming, subscription and rights management software organized around DRM licensing and content availability by territory.

[Get a free estimate](https://arbocode.com/get-a-quote) [Speak with an engineer](https://arbocode.com/contact)

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Your repository from the first commit

Live demo at the end of every sprint

Built by senior engineers

[How we work](https://arbocode.com/process)

Streaming platforms and digital publishers face several constraints that most software categories never meet together. Video must play reliably across devices and networks using adaptive bitrate streaming, content licensors demand DRM before releasing their catalog, and subscription pricing must vary by tier, trial period and sometimes region while entitlement checks keep working.

We build video delivery pipelines on top of AWS Elemental or Mux, integrate Widevine, FairPlay and PlayReady DRM so licensed content actually clears studio requirements, and build subscription and entitlement systems that track exactly what a given account is allowed to watch in a given territory at a given moment.

Captioning and accessibility get built to CVAA and FCC requirements from the start, and recommendation engines are designed to work with the sparse watch history a new subscriber actually has, not just the deep history an established one builds up over months.

The problem

## The hard parts of media & entertainment software

- ### Video delivery has to work across devices and unreliable networks  
Adaptive bitrate streaming and CDN strategy determine whether a viewer on a slow connection gets a smooth downgraded stream or a stalled one, and getting this wrong is the single fastest way to lose a subscriber.
- ### DRM licensing is a requirement, not an option  
Content licensors typically require Widevine, FairPlay or PlayReady DRM before releasing a catalog, and supporting all three (for Android, iOS and other platforms respectively) adds real integration complexity.
- ### Subscription billing gets complicated fast  
Free trials, multiple tiers, regional pricing and promotional discounts all interact with entitlement checks, and a bug in that logic either gives away content for free or blocks a paying subscriber.
- ### Recommendations have to work for new users with no history  
Most recommendation approaches assume a deep watch history that a new subscriber does not have yet, so a cold-start strategy is a separate design problem, not a smaller version of the main one.
- ### Captioning and accessibility are regulatory requirements for video  
The CVAA and related FCC rules require closed captioning for video content that previously aired on television, and general accessibility expectations extend to the entire streaming interface.
- ### Rights availability varies by territory and window  
The same title can be licensed for different regions and time windows, and enforcing that correctly requires checking viewer location and license terms on every playback request, not just at catalog publish time.

What we build

## Media & Entertainment systems we build

- ### Video streaming platform development  
Transcoding and adaptive bitrate delivery pipelines built on AWS Elemental or Mux, tuned for the device mix and network conditions your actual audience uses.
- ### DRM integration  
Widevine, FairPlay and PlayReady integration so licensed content plays back correctly across Android, iOS, web and connected TV platforms without violating a licensor's DRM requirement.
- ### Subscription billing and entitlement management  
Tiered pricing, free trials and regional pricing logic tied directly to playback entitlement checks, so billing state and content access never drift apart.
- ### Content recommendation engines  
Recommendation logic that handles cold-start for new subscribers alongside personalization for established ones, instead of one model tuned only for deep watch history.
- ### Ad insertion and monetization  
Server-side and client-side ad insertion integrated with platforms like Google Ad Manager, for ad-supported tiers running alongside subscription tiers.
- ### Rights and territory management  
License window and territory checks enforced at playback time, not just catalog publish time, so content availability always reflects the current licensing agreement.

## Regulations and standards we design for

- DMCA safe harbor requirements and takedown process for user-uploaded or licensed content.
- COPPA requirements for platforms serving content directed at children under 13.
- CVAA and FCC closed captioning requirements for video content previously aired on television.
- GDPR and CCPA requirements for viewer data collected through streaming and recommendation systems.
- WCAG 2.2 accessibility requirements for streaming interfaces and playback controls.

## Platforms we integrate with

- AWS Elemental Media Services and Mux for video infrastructure
- Widevine, FairPlay and PlayReady DRM
- Stripe for subscription billing
- Google Ad Manager for ad insertion
- Cloudflare and Akamai CDN for content delivery

## DRM and rights management across territories

We integrate Widevine, FairPlay and PlayReady together rather than picking one, since a real streaming audience spans Android, iOS, web and connected TV devices that each require a different DRM system. Rights checks run at the moment of playback, evaluating license territory and window against the viewer's location and the current date, so a title that expires from the catalog mid-license actually stops playing rather than relying on a manual catalog update.

## Recommendation and personalization with sparse watch history

New subscribers have little or no watch history, so we build a cold-start path (based on genre selection at signup, trending content and catalog metadata) separately from the personalization model used once enough viewing history accumulates. Both paths feed into the same recommendation surface, but the underlying logic and the data each depends on are different enough that treating them as one model produces poor results for new users.

Services

## How we serve media & entertainment companies

- [Custom Software DevelopmentWe build software around the processes your business already runs on, so operations no longer depend on spreadsheets, workarounds and tools never built for your workflow.](https://arbocode.com/services/custom-software-development)
- [SaaS DevelopmentWe build multi-tenant SaaS products around tenant isolation, subscription billing and self-serve onboarding, architected to scale beyond your first cohort of customers.](https://arbocode.com/services/saas-development)
- [AI DevelopmentWe build the AI itself, covering retrieval systems over your data, agents that act on it, and models tuned and evaluated against your own cases.](https://arbocode.com/services/ai-development)
- [Mobile App DevelopmentWe build native and cross-platform mobile apps, handle App Store and Play Store submission, and design for the offline gaps and device permissions a phone has to cope with.](https://arbocode.com/services/mobile-app-development)

Solutions

## Media & Entertainment solutions we deliver

- [Subscription Billing SystemsRecurring billing that handles proration, failed payment retries and tax calculation correctly, using an existing billing platform as the base.](https://arbocode.com/solutions/subscription-billing)
- [BI & Reporting DashboardsReporting on a single data model in place of five spreadsheets, with dashboards that stay quick against years of history.](https://arbocode.com/solutions/bi-dashboards)
- [Customer Portal DevelopmentA login area where your customers see their own orders, invoices and support cases, connected to the systems that already store that data.](https://arbocode.com/solutions/customer-portal)
- [Internal Tools & Admin DashboardsBack-office software where your team can look up, edit and act on production data safely, replacing the spreadsheet or the direct database query.](https://arbocode.com/solutions/internal-tools)

Technology

## Technologies we typically use

- [React](https://arbocode.com/technologies/react)
- [Next.js](https://arbocode.com/technologies/nextjs)
- [Node.js](https://arbocode.com/technologies/nodejs)
- [Python](https://arbocode.com/technologies/python)
- [AWS](https://arbocode.com/technologies/aws)

FAQ

## Media & Entertainment software FAQs

Do we need to support all three major DRM systems for a streaming launch?

Usually yes, if you want to reach Android, iOS and connected TV devices with licensed content, since each platform's native playback path expects a specific DRM system: Widevine, FairPlay or PlayReady. We integrate all three so licensing requirements do not limit which devices your app supports.

How does subscription billing stay in sync with what content a user can actually watch?

We tie the entitlement check directly to the current billing state at the moment of playback, rather than caching access permissions separately, so a trial expiring or a downgrade mid-cycle updates what plays back immediately, not at the next login.

Can a recommendation engine work well for a platform that just launched?

Yes, though it needs a different approach than personalization for an established user base. We build a cold-start path using genre preferences and catalog metadata for new subscribers, separate from the watch-history-driven model used once enough viewing data accumulates.

What closed captioning requirements apply to a new streaming platform?

The CVAA and related FCC rules require captions for video content that previously aired on television with captions, and general accessibility expectations extend to original content as well. We build caption support into the player and content pipeline from launch rather than adding it after a compliance complaint.

How do you enforce that a licensed title is only available in its contracted territory?

We check the viewer's location against the license's territory and window at the moment of playback, not just when the catalog is published, so a title correctly stops playing the moment its license window or territory rights change.

Insights

## Further reading

- [8 min readHow to Build an MVP and Skip the Wrong FeaturesA practical guide on how to build an MVP: scope the smallest viable version, validate demand, pick an engagement model, and avoid the usual mistakes.](https://arbocode.com/blog/how-to-build-an-mvp)
- [7 min readWhat MVP Development CostsMVP development cost runs $15,000 to $60,000 for a single-workflow product, and $60,000-$150,000+ once billing or integrations come into play.](https://arbocode.com/blog/mvp-development-cost)
- [6 min readHow Long It Takes to Build a SaaS ProductHow long does it take to build a SaaS product? A focused MVP takes about 3-5 months and a full multi-tenant platform 6-10 months. See the breakdown.](https://arbocode.com/blog/saas-development-timeline)

## Talk to us about your media & entertainment project

Send a short description of the project. A senior engineer reads each request and answers with questions, next steps and an early budget range.

[Get a free estimate](https://arbocode.com/get-a-quote) [Speak with an engineer](https://arbocode.com/contact)