What is OTT (over-the-top)?

What over-the-top means

The phrase describes going over the top of the traditional distribution gatekeepers. A cable company controlled which channels reached a household and on what terms; a streaming service reaches the viewer directly over the internet connection, and the network operator carries the bits without any say in the content.

OTT is therefore a delivery model rather than a device or a format. It covers streaming on a television, a phone, a laptop or a console.

OTT and CTV

The two are used interchangeably and are not synonyms, which causes real confusion in media plans.

OTT is how content is delivered — over the internet, outside traditional providers.

[CTV](/resources/glossary/connected-tv-ctv) is where it is watched — on a television screen.

Streaming a service on a mobile phone is OTT and not CTV. The same service on a smart TV is both. The distinction matters commercially because the two have different attention profiles and price very differently.

What it changed for advertising

• Addressability. Different viewers can receive different advertising during the same content.
• Fragmentation. Audiences split across many services rather than a few broadcasters, so reach requires buying across them.
• Ad-supported tiers. Nearly every major subscription service has added one, which expanded premium video inventory substantially.
• A measurement mismatch. Digital-style delivery counting on a medium where the response happens elsewhere entirely.