[Term of the Day]: Over-the-top
Term of the Day
“Over-the-top (OTT)”
Definition — What is OTT and what is its purpose?
The acronym OTT stands for Over-the-top that refers to film and television content provided via a high-speed Internet connection at the request and to suit the requirements of the individual consumer. The term itself stands for “over-the-top”, which implies that a content provider is going over the top of existing internet services.
With OTT video delivery technology, people now have a multitude of options at their fingertips. To stream OTT, users only require an internet connection and a compatible hardware device.
Mobile OTT Devices: Smartphones and tablets are able to download OTT apps to stream on-the-go.
Personal Computers: Consumers can access OTT content from desktop-based apps or web browsers.
Smart TVs: The most common examples include Apple TV’s, SmartTV’s, PlayStation, Chromecast, Xbox, FireStick and MORE. While you can typically stream OTT content on mobile and desktop devices, they aren’t considered true OTT devices.
Users prefer OTT over traditional mediums such as private cable networks for the following reasons,
- Access Anywhere
- Ads Free Content
- Consumer Freedom, meaning, content is going straight toward what the consumers want to watch — and the turnaround time is getting faster and faster.
Over-the-top Messaging:
For many years, text messaging (or SMS messaging) was the standard way to message someone using a mobile phone. In 2009, WhatsApp introduced a free way to message other users without using SMS. Apple introduced iMessage in 2011, which uses Apple's own free messaging service rather than SMS or MMS. As these alternative messaging options grew in popularity, many cellular service providers increased their monthly messaging limits for users and many plans now offer unlimited messaging.
NOTE: Both OTT content and messaging still require internet access, such as cable, DSL, or a cellular data connection.