Over-the-top media service

An over-the-top media service (also known as over-the-top television, or simply OTT) is a digital distribution service of video and audio delivered directly to viewers via the public Internet, rather than through an over-the-air, cable, satellite, or IPTV provider. Such services may be subscription-based or free. The term is synonymous with "streaming platform". OTT services are typically accessed via television sets with integrated Smart TV platforms, streaming devices such as Amazon Fire TV and Roku, video game consoles, websites on personal computers, and apps on smartphones and tablets.
OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms—the media through which companies have traditionally acted as controllers or distributors of such content. This content may include shows and movies for which the OTT acquired licensed rights from the content owner. Programming may also include original content produced by the service or specifically for it.
OTT services may include paid services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video which provide access to subscription-based film and television content (SVoD), or free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services such as Pluto TV and Tubi. OTT services also include a range of "skinny" television offerings by streaming platforms, such as Sling TV and Hulu with Live TV, that provide live streams of specialty channels. OTT television, commonly called streaming television, has become the most popular OTT content.
In 2011, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Canada's telecommunications regulator, stated that it "considers that Internet access to programming independent of a facility or network dedicated to its delivery (via, for example, cable or satellite) is the defining feature of what has been termed 'over-the-top' services".
In contrast to video on demand systems offered by cable and IPTV, which operate over managed networks where channels can be changed instantly and thus content available instantaneously, some OTT services such as iTunes require that the video be downloaded first and then played. Relatedly, some OTT services require movie download but can start playing the content before the download completes (streaming).
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) categorizes OTT services into two groups: multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) and online video distributors (OVDs).
Virtual MVPDs include such services such as DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.
The FCC defined an OVD as:
In broadcasting, over-the-top (OTT) content is the audio, video, and other media content delivered over the Internet, without the involvement of a multiple-system operator (MSO) in the control or distribution of the content. The Internet provider may be aware of the contents of the Internet Protocol (IP) packets and may be able to block or restrict their transit to end users (unless that internet provider operates within a jurisdiction that requires "net neutrality"). However, the ISP is not responsible for the viewing abilities, copyrights, and/or other redistribution of the content from the OTT provider. This model contrasts with the purchasing or rental of video or audio content from an Internet service provider, such as pay television, video on demand and internet protocol television (IPTV).
OTT refers to content from a third party that is delivered to an end-user, with the ISP simply transporting IP packets. OTT content is delivered via the public Internet instead of a closed, private network system that uses exclusive equipment like set-top boxes, or through IPTV services (such as U-verse TV).
OTT television signals are received over the Internet or through a cell phone network, as opposed to receiving television signals from terrestrial broadcasters, cable networks, or via satellite transmission. The video distributor controls access through an app, a separate OTT dongle, or a box connected to a phone, PC, or smart television set. By mid-2017, 58 percent of US households would access one in a given month, and advertising revenues from OTT channels exceeded revenue from videos playing in web browsers on desktops and laptops.
In 2019, the record of simultaneous users watching an OTT event was set at 18.6 million in India by Disney Entertainment's video streaming platform Hotstar. The record was broken again in 2023 with 59 million concurrent viewers during the ICC Cricket World Cup final on Disney+ Hotstar.
In 2023, the viewing of TV content on streaming platforms represented 38% of global television consumption with 1.8 billion subscriptions to OTT platforms.
Consumers can access OTT content through Internet-connected devices such as smart TVs, digital media players, gaming consoles, set-top boxes, desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones.
The results of a 2018 in-house data analysis of their subscribers by Uscreen (a membership platform for video creators and entrepreneurs) reported that 45% used iOS and Android mobile devices to access their OTT content, while 39% used web browsers for streaming.
Examples of OTT platforms with 1m–100mm+ subscribers include:
The term "OTT" has also been used to describe no-carrier cellphones, for which all communications are charged as data, avoiding monopolistic competition, or apps for phones that transmit data in this manner, including both those that replace other call methods and those that update software.
OTT messaging is defined as instant messaging services or online chat provided by third parties, as an alternative to text messaging services provided by a mobile network operator. An example is the Meta Platforms-owned mobile application WhatsApp, that serves to replace text messaging on Internet connected smartphones. Other providers of OTT messaging include Viber, WeChat, iMessage, Skype, Telegram and the now defunct Google Allo.
OTT voice calling, usually called VoIP, capabilities, for instance, a softphone or as provided by FaceTime, Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, WeChat, and Zoom use open internet communication protocols to replace and sometimes enhance existing operator controlled services offered by mobile phone operators.