Over-the-top media service

Over-the-top (OTT) media service (also known as streaming platform) is a media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms—the media through which companies have traditionally acted as controllers or distributors of such content. The term is most synonymous with subscription-based video on demand (SVoD) services that offer access to film and television content. Such content may include shows and movies for which the OTT acquired rights from the content owner. Programming may also (or alternatively) include original content produced specifically for the service.[1][2]

OTT services also include a range of "skinny" television offerings that provide access to live streams of linear specialty channels. These services resemble traditional satellite or cable TV programming, but the OTT content is delivered via the public Internet instead of a closed, private network system that uses exclusive equipment like set-top boxes.[3]

OTT services are typically accessed via websites on personal computers, apps on mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets), digital media players (including video game consoles), televisions with integrated Smart TV platforms, and streaming devices such as Amazon Fire TV and Roku.[4][5]

The term has also been used to describe no-carrier cellphones, for which all communications are charged as data,[6] avoiding monopolistic competition, or apps for phones that transmit data in this manner, including both those that replace other call methods[7][8] and those that update software.[8][9][1][10]

  1. ^ a b Tariq, Haseeb. "Council Post: What Is OTT Advertising, And Why Is It A Trend?". Forbes. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. ^ Shonk, David J.; Weiner, James F. (20 October 2021). Sales and Revenue Generation in Sport Business. Human Kinetics. ISBN 9781492594222.
  3. ^ Moro-Visconti, Roberto (17 April 2021). Startup Valuation: From Strategic Business Planning to Digital Networking. Springer. ISBN 9783030716080.
  4. ^ "Pluto TV - It's Free TV". Pluto TV. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Need to Know: What's the difference between OTT, CTV and streaming?". Nielsen Corporation. February 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Weaver, Todd (1 August 2019). "What a No-Carrier Phone Could Look Like". Purism. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  7. ^ Fitchard, Kevin (3 November 2014). "Can you hear me now? Verizon, AT&T to make voice-over-LTE interoperable in 2015". gigaom.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Why Startups Are Beating Carriers (Or The Curious Case Of The Premium SMS Horoscope Service & The Lack Of Customer Consent)". TechCrunch. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  9. ^ "A Closer Look At Blackphone, The Android Smartphone That Simplifies Privacy". TechCrunch. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  10. ^ Willemyns, Ines (30 September 2021). Digital Services in International Trade Law. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108837538.