Native, web and hybrid
- Native: written for one platform; best performance and full access to device features
- Web app: runs in a browser; one codebase, nothing to install, limited device access
- Hybrid: a web app wrapped in a native shell; shared code, uneven performance
- Cross-platform frameworks: one codebase compiled to several platforms, with native modules where needed
Why streaming favors native
- Playback: the platform's own player gives the fastest start and smoothest adaptation
- DRM: hardware-level protection, needed for HD and 4K licensed content
- Offline viewing: secure downloads rely on native storage and DRM
- Background audio, picture-in-picture and casting
- Push notifications and deep links
- In-app purchase through the store's billing
- Home-screen integration on televisions: continue watching and recommendations
The cost of native
Each platform is a separate app with its own code, release cycle and store review. A service on iOS, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Samsung and LG maintains six. Platforms change every year, so the work never ends.
This is the main reason services use a platform that supplies its apps: the vendor spreads that maintenance across all its customers.
Where web is the right answer
The website remains essential: it is where people arrive from search and marketing, where sign-up avoids store commission, and where viewers on computers watch. Samsung and LG television apps are web technology by design. The usual mix is native on mobile and Apple and Android televisions, and web elsewhere.
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