Over-The-Top Media Service

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.

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.

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.

The term 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.

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:

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.

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 television, usually called online television, Internet television or 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.

The record of simultaneous users watching an OTT event was set at 18.6 million by Disney's Indian video streaming platform Hotstar.

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 Facebook-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, 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.

Consumers can access OTT content through Internet-connected devices such as smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, and desktop and laptop computers. As of 2019, Android and iOS users made up more than 45% of the total OTT content streaming audience, while 39% of users used another device to access OTT content.