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{{Short description|Service delivering video over the Internet instead of through a multi-system operator}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2021}}
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An '''over-the-top''' ('''OTT''') media service is a [[Media (communications)|media]] service offered [[Direct-to-consumer|directly to viewers]] via the [[Internet]]. OTT bypasses [[Cable television|cable]], [[broadcast television|broadcast]], and [[satellite television]] platforms, the types of companies that traditionally act as controllers or distributors of such content.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/can-cbs-change-streaming-game-star-trek-discovery-1037576|title=Can CBS Change the Streaming Game With 'Star Trek: Discovery'?|first=Natalie|last=Jarvey|date=15 September 2017|publisher=The Holywood Reporter|access-date=27 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028043908/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/can-cbs-change-streaming-game-star-trek-discovery-1037576|archive-date=2017-10-28|url-status=live}}</ref> It has also been used to describe no-carrier cellphones, where all communications are charged as data,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weaver |first1=Todd |title=What a No-Carrier Phone Could Look Like |url=https://wp.puri.sm/posts/what-a-no-carrier-phone-could-look-like/ |website=[[Purism (company)|Purism]] |date=1 August 2019}}</ref> avoiding [[monopolistic competition]], or apps for phones that transmit data in this manner, including both those that replace other call methods<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fitchard |first1=Kevin |title=Can you hear me now? Verizon, AT&T to make voice-over-LTE interoperable in 2015 |url=https://gigaom.com/2014/11/03/can-you-hear-me-now-verizon-att-to-make-voice-over-lte-interoperable-in-2015/ |website=gigaom.com |date=3 November 2014}}</ref><ref name=horoscope/> and those that update software.<ref name=horoscope>{{cite web |title=Why Startups Are Beating Carriers (Or The Curious Case Of The Premium SMS Horoscope Service & The Lack Of Customer Consent) |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/03/25/startups-beating-carriers/ |website=TechCrunch}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A Closer Look At Blackphone, The Android Smartphone That Simplifies Privacy |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/26/close-look-at-blackphone/ |website=TechCrunch}} {https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/02/08/what-is-ott-advertising-and-why-is-it-a-trend/?sh=7e6fbb1c19be}</ref>

The term is most synonymous with [[Subscription business model|subscription]]-based [[Video on demand|video-on-demand]] (SVoD) services that offer access to film and television content (including existing series acquired from other producers, as well as original content produced specifically for the service).<ref>{https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/02/08/what-is-ott-advertising-and-why-is-it-a-trend/?sh=7e6fbb1c19be}</rel>{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}</ref>

OTT also encompasses a wave of "skinny" television services that offer access to live streams of linear [[specialty channel]]s, similar to a traditional satellite or cable TV provider, but streamed over the public [[Internet]], rather than a [[Closed platform|closed]], private network with proprietary equipment such as [[set-top box]]es.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Over-the-top services are typically accessed via websites on [[personal computer]]s, as well as via [[mobile app|apps]] on [[mobile device]]s (such as [[smartphone]]s and [[tablet computer|tablets]]), [[digital media player]]s (including [[video game console]]s), or televisions with integrated [[Smart TV]] platforms.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==Definitions==
In 2011, the [[Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC), Canada's telecom 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 have been termed 'over-the-top' services".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/rp1110.htm#ftn2|title=Results of the fact-finding exercise on the over-the-top programming services|first=Government of Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission|last=(CRTC)|website=www.crtc.gc.ca|access-date=30 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170603162457/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/rp1110.htm#ftn2#ftn2|archive-date=2017-06-03|url-status=live}}</ref>

In contrast to video on demand video-delivery systems offered by cable and [[IPTV]], which are tightly managed networks where channels can be changed instantly, some OTT services such as iTunes require that the video be downloaded first and then played,<ref name=tnroVSE>{{cite book| author = Gibbon, David C., and Liu, Zhu | title = Introduction to Video Search Engines | location = Washington, DC | publisher = Federal Communications Commission (FCC) | page = 251 }}</ref> while other OTT players such as [[Netflix]], [[Hulu]], [[Disney+]] and [[Amazon Prime Video]], offer movie downloads that start playing before the download completes ([[streaming media|streaming]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://disruptionmatters.com/2008/10/13/will-internet-tv-kill-iptv/|title=Will Internet TV Kill IPTV?|first=Jose Miguel|last=Cansado|date=13 October 2008|access-date=30 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606123042/http://disruptionmatters.com/2008/10/13/will-internet-tv-kill-iptv/|archive-date=2017-06-06|url-status=live}}</ref>

The United States [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) categorizes the OTT services into two groups: [[multichannel video programming distributors]] (MVPDs); and [[online video distributor]]s (OVDs).<ref name=FCC17th2016>{{cite report | author = FCC | date = 6 May 2016 | title = Annual Assessment of the Status of Competition in the Market for the Delivery of Video Programming [Seventeenth Report; MB Docket No. 15-158; DA 16-510] | location = Washington, DC | publisher = Federal Communications Commission (FCC) | pages = 4417–4587 | url = https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-510A1_Rcd.pdf | access-date = 26 December 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161026075525/https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-510A1_Rcd.pdf | archive-date = 2016-10-26 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/washington/fcc-officially-launches-ovd-definition-nprm/136544|title=FCC Officially Launches OVD Definition NPRM|work=Broadcasting & Cable|language=en|access-date=2018-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819093215/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/washington/fcc-officially-launches-ovd-definition-nprm/136544|archive-date=2017-08-19|url-status=live}}</ref>

Virtual MVPDs include such varied services as [[AT&T TV]], [[FuboTV]], [[Sling TV]], [[Hulu + Live TV]], and [[YouTube TV]].

An OVD was defined by the FCC as:<ref name=FCC17th2016>{{cite report | author = FCC | date = 6 May 2016 | title = Annual Assessment of the Status of Competition in the Market for the Delivery of Video Programming [Seventeenth Report; MB Docket No. 15-158; DA 16-510] | location = Washington, DC | publisher = Federal Communications Commission (FCC) | pages = 4417–4587 | url = https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-510A1_Rcd.pdf | access-date = 26 December 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161026075525/https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-510A1_Rcd.pdf | archive-date = 2016-10-26 | url-status = live }}</ref>{{quote|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 but is not responsible for, nor able to control, the viewing abilities, copyrights, and/or other redistribution of the content. This model contrasts with the purchasing or rental of video or audio content from an [[Internet service provider]] (ISP), such as [[pay television]], [[video on demand]], and from internet protocol television (IPTV).<ref>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.</ref> OTT refers to content from a third party that is delivered to an end-user, with the ISP simply transporting IP packets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/jeff-bewkes-goes-over-the-top/|title=Time Warner Goes Over the Top|last=Hansell|first=Saul|work=The New York Times|date=3 March 2009|access-date=21 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710232313/http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/jeff-bewkes-goes-over-the-top/|archive-date=2011-07-10|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecnmag.com/News/2009/11/Over-the-Top-Video-and-Content-Delivery-Networks-Will-Transform-Video-On-Demand-Provisioning/|title=Over-the-Top Video and Content Delivery Networks Will Transform Video-On-Demand Provisioning|work=Electronic Component News|date=19 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305082324/http://www.ecnmag.com/News/2009/11/Over-the-Top-Video-and-Content-Delivery-Networks-Will-Transform-Video-On-Demand-Provisioning/|archive-date=5 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/what-will-it-take-to-make-over-the-top-video-successful-2010-12|title=Why 2011 Is Being Called The Year Of "The Cable Cut"|work=Business Insider|date=30 December 2010|access-date=21 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403042433/http://www.businessinsider.com/what-will-it-take-to-make-over-the-top-video-successful-2010-12|archive-date=2016-04-03|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-playing-the-ott-game-and-how-to-win-it-2010-12|title=Who Is Playing The OTT Game And How To Win It|work=Business Insider|date=30 December 2010|access-date=21 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403052256/http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-playing-the-ott-game-and-how-to-win-it-2010-12|archive-date=2016-04-03|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Types of content==
{{expand section | a thorough, sourced description of the types of OTT content current transmitted | small = no|date=December 2016}}
'''OTT television''', usually called [[Internet television|online television or 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. Access is controlled by the video distributor, through either an app or a separate OTT dongle or box, connected to a phone, PC or [[smart television]] set. By mid-2017, 58 per cent of US households would access one in a given month and advertising revenues from OTT channels exceeded those from web browser plug-ins.<ref>Andrew Orlowski; [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/08/08/desktop_vs_ott_video/ Can the last person watching desktop video please turn out the light?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808154651/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/08/08/desktop_vs_ott_video/ |date=2017-08-08 }}, The Register, 8 Aug 2017 (retrieved 8 Aug 2017).</ref>

The record of simultaneous users watching an OTT event was set at 18.6 million by [[Disney|Disney's]] Indian video streaming platform [[Hotstar]].<ref>Manish Singh; [https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/12/hotstar-disneys-indian-streaming-service-sets-new-global-record-for-live-viewership/Hotstar, Disney’s Indian streaming service, sets new global record for live viewership], Techcrunch, 12 May 2019 (retrieved 12 May 2019).</ref>

'''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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-mobile-messaging-2013-5|title=Chart of the Day: Mobile Messaging|work=Business Insider|date=17 May 2013|access-date=10 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222070154/http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-mobile-messaging-2013-5|archive-date=2014-02-22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/over-the-top-messaging-overtakes-sms|title=Over-The-Top Messaging Apps Overtake SMS Messaging|last=Maytom|first=Tim|work=Mobile Marketing Magazine|date=4 August 2014|access-date=28 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907085209/http://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/over-the-top-messaging-overtakes-sms|archive-date=2015-09-07|url-status=live}}</ref> An example is the [[Facebook]]-owned mobile application [[WhatsApp]], that serves to replace text messaging on Internet connected smartphones.<ref name="wsj20140220">{{cite news|title=Facebook's $18 Billion Deal Sets High Bar|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=20 February 2014|last1=Albergotti|first1=Reed|last2=MacMillan|first2=Douglas|last3=Rusli|first3=Evelyn}}</ref><ref name="Parmy Olsen">{{cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2015/09/04/whatsapp-900-million-users/|title=WhatsApp hits 900 million users|last=Rao|first=Leena|work=Fortune|date=4 September 2015|access-date=27 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128054624/http://fortune.com/2015/09/04/whatsapp-900-million-users/|archive-date=2016-01-28|url-status=live}}</ref> Other providers of OTT messaging include [[Viber]], [[WeChat]], [[iMessage]], [[Skype]], [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]] and the now defunct [[Google Allo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/654-best-messaging-apps.html|title=Apps Roundup: Best Messaging Apps|work=Tom's Guide|date=4 Oct 2016|access-date=2017-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214102110/http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/654-best-messaging-apps.html|archive-date=2017-02-14|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''OTT voice calling''', usually called [[VoIP]], capabilities, for instance, as provided by [[FaceTime]], [[Skype]], [[Viber]], [[WhatsApp]], [[WeChat]], and [[Zoom (software)|Zoom]] use open internet communication protocols to replace and sometimes enhance existing operator controlled services offered by mobile phone operators.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

==Modes of access==
Consumers can access OTT content through [[Internet access|Internet-connected]] devices such as [[smartphones|phones]] (including [[Android (operating system)|Android]] and [[iOS]] mobile devices), [[smart TV]]s (such as [[Google TV]] and [[LG Electronics]]' Channel Plus),<ref>{{cite journal | author=Roettgers, Janko | date=8 January 2016 | title=LG's New TVs Mix Streaming Channels from Buzzfeed, GQ & Vogue with Traditional Networks | url=https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/lgs-webos-internet-tv-channels-1201675137/ | journal=Variety | access-date=26 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203122444/http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/lgs-webos-internet-tv-channels-1201675137/ | archive-date=2017-02-03 | url-status=live }}</ref> [[set-top box]]es (such as [[Apple TV]], [[NVidia Shield|Nvidia Shield]], [[Amazon Fire TV|Fire TV]], and [[Roku]]), [[gaming consoles]] (such as the [[PlayStation 4]], [[Wii U]], and [[Xbox One]]), [[Tablet computer|tablets]], and desktop and laptop computers. As of 2019, [[Android (operating system)|Android]] and [[iOS]] users make up more than 45% of the total OTT content streaming audience, while 39% of users use the web to access OTT content.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uscreen.tv/blog/ott-content-trends/|title=OTT Content: What We Learned From 1.1 Million Subscribers|last=Johnson|first=James|date=2019-01-24|website=Uscreen|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Access-independent services]]
* [[Content delivery network]]
* [[Home theater PC]]
* [[Internet television]]
* [[List of Internet television providers]]
* [[Multi-screen video]]
* [[Multichannel television in the United States]]
* [[Streaming media]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-adopts-15th-report-video-competition-0|title=FCC Adopts 15th Report On Video Competition|work=[[U.S. Federal Communications Commission]]|date=22 July 2013|access-date=7 March 2014}} Announcement of release Report.
* {{cite web|url=http://www.payott.tv/2011/03/11/user-interface-holds-the-key-to-ott-success/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618155638/http://www.payott.tv/2011/03/11/user-interface-holds-the-key-to-ott-success/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 June 2011|title=User Interface Holds the Key to OTT Success|work=Pay OTT TV|date=11 March 2011|access-date=21 March 2016}}

{{CATV USA}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Internet television]]
[[Category:Net neutrality]]
[[Category:Set-top box]]

Over-the-top media service - Revision history

Emboy: Created page with "{{Short description|Service delivering video over the Internet instead of through a multi-system operator}} {{more citations needed|date=March 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=Marc..."