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Over-the-top media service
An over-the-top media service, also known as over-the-top television (OTT TV, 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. The term is synonymous with streaming platform.
OTT services may be subscription-based or free, and are typically accessed via television sets with integrated Smart TV platforms, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, video game consoles, websites on personal computers, and apps on smartphones and tablets.
OTT bypasses broadcast, cable, and satellite transmissions—the system through which companies have traditionally acted as controllers or distributors of television 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 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. In 2023, using OTT platforms constituted 38% of global television consumption. OTT TV, commonly called streaming television, is the most popular method for watching television in the United States as of 2025.
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.
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Over-the-top media service
An over-the-top media service, also known as over-the-top television (OTT TV, 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. The term is synonymous with streaming platform.
OTT services may be subscription-based or free, and are typically accessed via television sets with integrated Smart TV platforms, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, video game consoles, websites on personal computers, and apps on smartphones and tablets.
OTT bypasses broadcast, cable, and satellite transmissions—the system through which companies have traditionally acted as controllers or distributors of television 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 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. In 2023, using OTT platforms constituted 38% of global television consumption. OTT TV, commonly called streaming television, is the most popular method for watching television in the United States as of 2025.
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.