Flowplayer
Flowplayer is a Stockholm-based video technology company offering an HTML5 video player and online video platform for VOD, live streaming, monetization, and DRM-protected delivery. It serves global brands, broadcasters, and digital publishers, and operates as part of Wowza Video.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Flowplayer does
Flowplayer is a Stockholm-based video technology company (Flowplayer AB) that develops an HTML5 video player and an online video platform for hosting, streaming, and monetizing video content. Its core technology is a performance-focused HTML5 video player built on an open plugin architecture with 36+ configuration options, supporting adaptive bitrate streaming up to 4K resolution, and extendable via web, iOS, and Android SDKs. The platform layer adds VOD hosting, live and simulated live streaming, global CDN delivery, advertising management (client-side and server-side ad insertion, header bidding), DRM-based content protection (via EZDRM), and audience and ad analytics.
The company serves global brands, media companies, broadcasters, and digital publishers requiring a customizable, reliable video stack. Notable customers include L'Oréal, Syncbak (a CBS company), RTVS, JoVE, and Maaseudun Tulevaisuus. Revenue is generated through a tiered subscription model (Explorer free, Starter, custom Enterprise) supplemented by usage-based overages for plays, encoding minutes, storage, and streaming bandwidth. Distribution is hybrid: a self-serve product-led funnel with developer documentation and code sandbox, plus direct enterprise sales and a 25+ partner integration ecosystem spanning CMS, advertising, DRM, payments, and live production tools. Following its 2022 acquisition by Wowza, Flowplayer operates as part of the Wowza Video platform under the Wowza Flowplayer brand.
Flowplayer firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Flowplayer
- Legal name
- Flowplayer AB
- Website
- https://flowplayer.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Flowplayer is a Stockholm-based video technology company offering an HTML5 video player and online video platform for VOD, live streaming, monetization, and DRM-protected delivery. It serves global brands, broadcasters, and digital publishers, and operates as part of Wowza Video.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Flowplayer industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Video Platform
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Video Player Delivery & Playback Optimization (ABR, QoE) (MPAHAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Stream Processing (Ingest, ABR Packaging, Just-in-Time Packaging) (MPAHAHAD), Live Streaming Ingest & Contribution Networks (Encoder-to-Origin, Backhaul) (MPAHAIAI)
Keywords
Where Flowplayer is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Flowplayer business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Platform Subscriptions: Recurring subscription fees for platform access with tiered plans (Trial, Starter, Enterprise). Includes bundled usage allotments for streaming, encoding, and storage. Usage-based fees apply for consumption exceeding bundled limits.
- Usage-based Streaming & Encoding: Pay-per-use charges for streaming bandwidth, encoding minutes, and storage beyond plan limits. Overage pricing for plays, encoding input minutes, storage, and streaming.
- Legacy Player Licenses (Deprecated): One-time license purchases for standalone Flowplayer player were offered historically. These products are deprecated and superseded by current platform service subscriptions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Explorer (Free) - Testing non-production capabilities |
| Subscription | Monthly | Starter - For growing video needs |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise - Custom solutions for large organizations |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Flowplayer product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Flowplayer provides an online video platform featuring an ultra-lightweight HTML5 video player with open plugin architecture, supporting video-on-demand, live, and simulated live streaming. The platform bundles advertising monetization (client-side and server-side ad insertion, header bidding), DRM content protection, audience analytics, and global CDN delivery with adaptive bitrate streaming up to 4K. It serves global brands, media companies, broadcasters, and digital teams with a self-serve entry tier, paid Starter plan, and custom Enterprise offerings.
Product overview
Flowplayer is a complete online video platform solution consisting of a unified product portfolio. The core offerings include the Flowplayer HTML5 Player (an ultra-lightweight, open plugin architecture player supporting up to 4K adaptive bitrate streaming) and the Flowplayer Platform (for hosting, VOD, live, and simulated live streaming). These are complemented by add-on modules: Monetization & Protect (for advertising with header bidding and DRM), Analytics, and Insights (quality of experience data). Flowplayer Native serves as the next-generation player built on HTML5 video tag. The platform is now part of Wowza Video following Wowza's acquisition of Flowplayer in 2021. Plans range from free Explorer tier to custom Enterprise offerings with advanced features like DRM encoding and AI auto transcriptions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Flowplayer Native: Performance-first HTML video player with over 36 plugins and configuration options, supporting adaptive bitrate streaming up to 4K.
- Flowplayer Platform
Products and services
- Flowplayer HTML5 Player Ultra-lightweight HTML5 video player with open plugin architecture, built for speed, flexibility, and performance. Supports adaptive bitrate streaming up to 1440p (4K) resolution, includes Android and iOS SDKs, Chromecast and AirPlay support, and skinning/HTML5 APIs for customization.
- Flowplayer Platform Online video platform for hosting and streaming video-on-demand, live, and simulated live content with global points of presence, analytics, access control, recommendations, user limiting, DRM, and a Platform API. Targeted at media companies, broadcasters, and global brands.
- Flowplayer Live & Simulated Live Professional live broadcasting solution with simulated live capability for delivering pre-recorded content as live streams. Includes custom livestreaming features and is offered as part of Starter and Enterprise plans.
- Flowplayer Monetization & Protect Advertising management and content protection module supporting client-side and server-side ad insertion, header bidding, ad scheduling, ad-pods, outstream ads, fill rate optimization, ad analytics, and DRM-based subscriber/pay-per-view protection.
- Flowplayer Analytics Audience analytics module for understanding viewer behavior and tracking advertising performance, with integration to Google Analytics, comScore, and Google Ad Manager.
- Flowplayer Native Performance-first HTML video player with over 36 different plugins and configuration options, supporting adaptive bitrate streaming up to 1440p (4K). Can be self-hosted as a stand-alone player or used as part of the full platform offering.
Quantifiable outcome
- Greater return on investment than other video platforms
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Flowplayer
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Flowplayer technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration25 records
Feature8 records
Flowplayer partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreLong-time infrastructure partner to Flowplayer providing cloud hosting and delivery infrastructure for the video platform.
- EZDRMcoreDRM pioneer that integrates with Flowplayer to provide digital rights management encoding for content protection.
- FreeWheelmajorAdvertising platform purpose-built for TV that integrates with Flowplayer for video ad serving.
- Google Ad ManagermajorGoogle's ad management platform integrated with Flowplayer for ad analytics and impression tracking.
- Google AnalyticsmajorIntegration for tracking Flowplayer video usage with Google Analytics.
- SpotXmajorWell-known ad server integrated with Flowplayer for video advertising.
- Open XmajorOpen programmatic ad marketplace integrated with Flowplayer.
- comScoresupportingTrusted analytics currency for evaluating Flowplayer video performance.
- DrupalsupportingOfficial Flowplayer plugin for Drupal CMS integration.
- WordPresssupportingOfficial Flowplayer plugin for WordPress CMS integration.
- AptomasupportingPopular CMS provider in the Nordics with Flowplayer plugin integration.
- AtexsupportingContent management system with Flowplayer integration for video delivery.
- FlixiersupportingOnline video editing software partnership making video editing easy for Flowplayer users.
- LiveUsupportingLive streaming software integrated with Flowplayer for live broadcasting.
- vMixsupportingLive production software integrated with Flowplayer.
- WirecastsupportingLive production software integrated with Flowplayer.
- SpringServesupportingFull stack ad serving integrated with Flowplayer.
- VideoElephantsupportingProvider of 1.5M brand-safe videos available for Flowplayer video inventory.
- Singular.livesupportingAdvanced digital overlay platform integrated with Flowplayer.
- NavigasupportingVideo presentation and monetization tool integrated with Flowplayer.
- Ring PublishingsupportingEnd-to-end modular publishing platform integrated with Flowplayer.
- VideolicioussupportingMobile video editing software integrated with Flowplayer.
- JamattosupportingMicropayments solution for Flowplayer enabling alternative monetization.
- LaterpaysupportingPayment solution allowing users to pay later for Flowplayer videos.
- LensAIsupportingAI-powered ad revenue optimization integrated with Flowplayer.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Flowplayer competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- JW Player (JWP): JW Player is one of the most direct competitors to Flowplayer — both offer an HTML5 video player plus a full online video platform with monetization, DRM, and live streaming for publishers and broadcasters. They target the same mid-market and enterprise media customers with similar PLG-to-enterprise motions.
- Mux: Mux provides developer-focused video infrastructure (Mux Video) and streaming APIs that overlap directly with Flowplayer's player and platform offering. Both target engineering teams building video experiences, with similar pricing models and SDKs across web and mobile.
- Bitmovin: Bitmovin offers video encoding, player, and analytics technology with a strong enterprise and broadcaster focus. It competes head-to-head with Flowplayer on adaptive bitrate streaming, player performance, and live streaming for media customers.
- Wistia: Wistia provides business video hosting, a customizable HTML5 player, and analytics for marketing and internal communications teams. It overlaps with Flowplayer on player technology, hosting, and analytics for SMB/mid-market enterprise digital teams.
Broad incumbents
- Brightcove: Brightcove is a long-established online video platform serving enterprise media, broadcasters, and brands with VOD, live, and monetization. It is a much larger incumbent competing for the same enterprise video RFPs that Flowplayer targets.
- Vimeo OTT (Vimeo): Vimeo (and Vimeo OTT) offers online video hosting, live streaming, and monetization to creators and media companies. It competes with Flowplayer's platform offering, particularly for SMB and mid-market customers needing branded video experiences.
- Kaltura: Kaltura is an enterprise video platform spanning VOD, live, video CMS, and virtual events. It targets similar enterprise digital team and education customers as Flowplayer, with a much broader product portfolio.
Emerging players
- Cloudflare Stream: Cloudflare Stream is a developer-focused video streaming service bundled with Cloudflare's global CDN. It directly competes with Flowplayer's player-plus-CDN offering and benefits from a much larger infrastructure footprint.
- api.video: api.video is an API-first video infrastructure platform offering player, hosting, live, and analytics. It targets a similar developer-led customer base as Flowplayer and competes on simplicity of integration and usage-based pricing.
Others
- Wowza Media Systems: Wowza is Flowplayer's parent company following the 2022 acquisition. The Wowza Video platform combines Wowza's streaming infrastructure with Flowplayer's player/OVP capabilities, making Wowza both a strategic owner and an adjacent/overlapping platform competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Flowplayer social profiles
Digital presenceFlowplayer financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Flowplayer leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Flowplayer funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Flowplayer M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Flowplayer
What does Flowplayer do?
Flowplayer provides an online video platform featuring an ultra-lightweight HTML5 video player with open plugin architecture, supporting video-on-demand, live, and simulated live streaming. The platform bundles advertising monetization (client-side and server-side ad insertion, header bidding), DRM content protection, audience analytics, and global CDN delivery with adaptive bitrate streaming up to 4K. It serves global brands, media companies, broadcasters, and digital teams with a self-serve entry tier, paid Starter plan, and custom Enterprise offerings.
Is Flowplayer a public or private company?
Flowplayer is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Flowplayer founded?
Flowplayer was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Flowplayer based?
Flowplayer is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Flowplayer make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Platform Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are usage-based Streaming & Encoding and legacy Player Licenses (Deprecated).
Who are Flowplayer's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are JW Player (JWP), Mux, Bitmovin and Wistia. Broad incumbents are Brightcove, Vimeo OTT (Vimeo) and Kaltura. Emerging players are Cloudflare Stream and api.video. Wowza Media Systems is listed as an others.
Does Flowplayer have an API?
Yes. Flowplayer Platform API accessible at api.flowplayer.com. Rate limit: 120 requests per minute, with accounts suspended for exceeding this limit. Supports configuration of players, plugins, analytics integration, and platform operations. Developer documentation is at docs.flowplayer.com/platformapi.
What industry is Flowplayer in?
Flowplayer's product category is Online Video Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHAIAD, Video Player Delivery & Playback Optimization (ABR, QoE), with a secondary code of MPAHAHAD, Live Stream Processing (Ingest, ABR Packaging, Just-in-Time Packaging). Its NAICS code is 5162 and its SIC code is 7822.