Service delivering video over the internet instead of through a multi-system operator
Over-the-top (OTT) media service (also known as streaming platform) is a
media service offered
directly to viewers via the
Internet.[1][2] 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 as
Netflix and
Amazon Prime Video.[3][4] This 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 by the service or specifically for it.[5][6]
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".[13]
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.[14] Relatedly, some OTT services require movie download but can start playing the content before the download completes (
streaming).[15]
any entity that provides video programming by means of the Internet or other Internet Protocol (IP)-based transmission path where the transmission path is provided by a person other than the OVD. An OVD does not include an MVPD inside its MVPD footprint or an MVPD to the extent it is offering online video programming as a component of an MVPD subscription to customers whose homes are inside its MVPD footprint.
Background
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).[18] OTT refers to content from a third party that is delivered to an end-user, with the ISP simply transporting IP packets.[19][20][21][22]
OTT television, commonly called
streaming television, remains the most popular OTT content. This signal is received over the Internet or through a cell phone network, as opposed to receiving the television signal from a terrestrial broadcast or satellite. 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.[23]
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.[24]
The term "OTT" has also been used to describe no-carrier
cellphones, for which all communications are charged as data,[27] avoiding
monopolistic competition, or apps for phones that transmit data in this manner, including both those that replace other call methods[28][29] and those that update software.[29][30][5][31]
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.[35]
^Gibbon, David C.; Liu, Zhu (2008). Introduction to Video Search Engines. Washington, DC: Federal Communications Commission (FCC). p. 251.
Bibcode:
2008ivse.book.....G.
^IPTV is the delivery of television content using signals based on the logical Internet protocol (IP), rather than through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal and cable television formats.