Over-the-top media service

An over-the-top media service, also known as OTT and over-the-top television (or over-the-top radio), is a digital distribution service of video and audio delivered directly to viewers via the public Internet, rather than through over-the-air, cable, and satellite television service, or IPTV provider. The term is synonymous with streaming platform.

Visual OTT services may be subscription-based or free, and are typically accessed via television sets with integrated Smart TV platforms, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, video game consoles, websites on personal computers, and apps on smartphones and tablets.

OTT bypasses broadcast, cable, and satellite transmissions—the system through which companies have traditionally acted as controllers or distributors of television content. This content may include shows and movies for which the OTT acquired licensed rights from the content owner. Programming may also include original content produced by the service or specifically for it.

OTT services include paid services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video which provide access to subscription-based film and television content (SVOD), or free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services such as Pluto TV and Tubi. OTT services also include a range of "skinny" television offerings by streaming platforms, such as Sling TV and Hulu with Live TV, that provide live streams of specialty channels. In 2023, using OTT platforms constituted 38% of global television consumption. OTT TV, commonly called streaming television, is the most popular method for watching television in the United States as of 2025.

Over-the-top radio (OTT radio) is the delivery of sound over the public Internet instead of via traditional terrestrial radio audio signals. Music and spoken content is provided through streaming platforms such as BBC Sounds, Spotify, and Audacy.