Block 5. Monetization

OTT monetization mapped: how SVOD, AVOD, FAST, and TVOD turn watch-time into revenue, the unit economics of each, and the systems every model forces in.

How subscription billing and entitlement power an SVOD platform: plans, trials, proration, dunning, app-store vs direct billing, and what to build first.

SSAI vs CSAI explained: how server-side and client-side ad insertion work, why SSAI beats ad-blockers and improves QoE, and when to use each in OTT.

SCTE-35 is the in-stream cue that tells a streaming platform where an ad break goes. How splice_insert, time_signal, and HLS/DASH markers work.

How video ad serving works in OTT: VMAP lists the breaks, VAST delivers each ad, and fill rate times CPM turns ad slots into streaming revenue.

Pay-per-view streaming and TVOD explained: how rent, buy, and PPV flows work, the app-store tax, the PCI boundary, and when TVOD beats a subscription.

Hard, metered, and freemium paywalls plus the access-control stack — entitlement, signed tokens, signed URLs, DRM, geo-gating, and stream limits.

Streaming churn is where SVOD revenue leaks. Define it, split voluntary from involuntary, recover failed payments with dunning, read cohort retention.

Pick a streaming monetization model — SVOD, AVOD, TVOD, FAST, or hybrid — with a decision framework, ad-tier and bundle math, and the app-store tax.