OTT (over-the-top) is a means of providing television and film content over the internet 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.

Let’s start with how we got here. Since the mid-1990’s, digital television content delivery via Internet Protocol (IPTV) has been the common way for TV service providers to distribute content to customers. Reception typically requires a TV subscription, a contract, a set-top box, and a technician to connect the array of hardware to high-speed internet services in each customer’s home or office. Thus, content is distributed through private “multicast” mpeg transport stream networks (meaning multiple streams are pushed to multiple consumer locations, like digital cable and satellite TV). This locks consumers to one service provider (restricted to whichever is available in your area) and the content offered is limited to channels available in their particular area and region.