Why your own app
- Your screen, not a platform's. No suggested videos from other channels, no third-party ads before your live stream.
- A direct channel. Push notifications reach viewers with no algorithm deciding who sees them.
- The TV set. With Chromecast, AirPlay and an Android TV app, your channel reaches the big screen where TV is still watched.
Native app or wrapped website
Two different things are sold as an "app":
- Native app: a real program for Android and another for iOS, published on Google Play and the App Store under the channel's brand, with notifications, system controls and casting to the TV.
- Wrapped website (PWA or WebView): the player page with an icon on the home screen. Cheap and fast, but it is not in the stores and notifications depend on the browser.
The question that settles it: is it on Google Play and the App Store under my brand?
The features that matter
| Feature | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Live channel with your brand | Your signal in your player, with your logo and colors, and no other channels or provider ads next to it. |
| Push notifications | Tell viewers the match is starting or there is breaking news, with no algorithm in between. |
| Chat | Viewers take part from the app instead of scattered comments on social media. |
| Chromecast and AirPlay | From the phone to any TV set with Chromecast or Apple TV, in one tap. |
| Android TV | An app for Android TV / Google TV sets: the channel on the living-room screen, with the remote. A one-time add-on. |
INOVANEX's native apps include push notifications, chat, Chromecast and AirPlay; Android TV is an add-on. The same app carries the channel and, if you also run a radio station, the station too, with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for the audio.
The living-room TV
Three ways in, from cheapest to most complete: casting from the phone (Chromecast or AirPlay, built into the app), an Android TV / Google TV app that viewers install on the set and use with the remote, and apps for other TV platforms, which are separate developments with their own stores. INOVANEX's catalog covers the first two; on other sets with Chromecast or AirPlay, viewers cast from the phone.
Stores and maintenance: the part nobody mentions
Google and Apple change their requirements every year, and an app that isn't updated disappears from the stores or stops installing on new phones. That is why an app's monthly fee is maintenance, not rent. Ask: who publishes it, who does the mandatory updates, are they included in the monthly fee, and what happens to the app if the contract ends?
What it costs: INOVANEX reference
One app per client, valid for the channel and the station, with a one-time setup fee and a monthly fee that includes maintenance, updates, support and store publishing by INOVANEX. Public catalog as of October 29, 2026, in US dollars, no VAT added (export of services). The apps are built for channels and stations that stream with INOVANEX.
| App | Setup (one time) | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Android app | US$ 76.00 | US$ 7.00 |
| iPhone (iOS) app | US$ 98.00 | US$ 7.00 |
| Android + iPhone apps | US$ 152.00 | US$ 10.00 |
| Android TV app (add-on) | US$ 54.00 | — |
The Android + iPhone bundle costs less than the two separately. Details are on INOVANEX's apps page.
Questions about channel apps
Does the app need its own developer account?
Google Play charges a one-time developer fee and the App Store an annual membership, and Apple verifies organizations. Providers that publish the app usually do it from their own account (simpler and faster) or from one in the channel's name (more control, more paperwork). Ask which, and what happens to the app if you change providers.
How long until it is published?
One to three weeks from when the channel hands over its logo, colors and details: a few days of building and testing, then store review, which usually takes hours to a few days on Google Play and one to several days on the App Store.
Isn't a YouTube channel enough?
It is a good shop window, and simulcast can feed it from your server. But on YouTube the next video, the ads and the viewer data belong to the platform. Your app is the place where only your channel plays and where you can send notifications.
What happens to the app if the channel changes provider?
If the app belongs to the provider, it goes away and a new one has to be published (see how to switch without going dark). If the app is yours and reads the stream URL from a remote setting, only that setting changes. Ask who owns the app before buying it.