What does Over-the-Top Application (OTT) mean?

Over-the-Top, or OTT, in short, is the term used for the delivery of film and TV content over the medium of the internet, putting aside the need to subscribe to traditional media, like cable, multichannel television, or satellite pay-TV, which offer services such as Comcast or Time Warner Cable, which traditionally have been controllers or distributors of such content.

An OTT application could be any application or service that provides a product using the Internet as the medium and bypasses traditional distribution channels. These services are mostly related to media and communication and are, almost always, lower in cost than the traditional delivery methods. OTT services are usually accessed through websites, using personal computers, mobile apps, digital media players, or smart TVs. Types of OTT Content:

OTT Television – Internet TV or streaming television has emerged as one of the most popular OTT contents. In this type of OTT service, the content is received over the internet or through a cell phone network, unlike the traditional method of receiving the television signal from a terrestrial broadcast or satellite. Access to the content is controlled by the video distributor, by means of either a mobile app or a separate OTT dongle or box, connected to a phone, PC, or television set.

OTT Messaging – This type of OTT content is defined as an instant messaging service or an online chat service provided by third parties, which provides an alternative to SMS services provided by mobile telephone networks. Messaging services such as WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, Skype, Telegram, and Google Allo are good examples of an OTT messaging service.

OTT Voice Calling – This type of OTT content is more popularly known by the term Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP). Internet services that provide these capabilities are Skype, WeChat, Viber, WhatsApp and Google Duo. These services use open internet communication protocols to replace services offered by mobile phone and telecom operators and are gaining acceptance worldwide.