How important is multi-platform access for a VOD streaming service today?

When people talk about building a VOD platform, most of the discussion focuses on content libraries, monetization models, or pricing. But something that seems just as critical now is where the content can actually be watched.

A lot of viewers don’t stick to one device anymore. Someone might start watching on a laptop, continue on their phone during commute, and finish the episode on a smart TV at home. If a platform only supports web or mobile, it feels incomplete pretty quickly.

From a platform builder’s perspective, multi-platform access seems to involve several layers:

• web players for browsers
• native mobile apps (iOS / Android)
• smart TV apps (Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku)
• consistent user accounts across devices
• watch history and resume playback sync

But supporting all of these platforms also increases development complexity significantly.

For people who’ve worked on VOD platforms or OTT apps:

• Did you launch with multiple device platforms from day one?
• Or did you start with web/mobile and expand later?
• Which device category ended up bringing the most watch time?