--- title: "What Is an Online Video Platform (OVP)? Definition and Examples" description: "An online video platform (OVP) hosts, encodes, delivers and plays video for a business. See what it covers and how it differs from an OTT platform." url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/online-video-platform" markdown_url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/online-video-platform.md" category: "Platform" updated: "2026-10-05" --- # What is an online video platform (OVP)? An online video platform (OVP) is a service that lets a business upload, encode, store, deliver and play video, typically through an embeddable player and an API, with analytics on how it is watched. ## What an online video platform does - Ingest and encoding: turns an upload into streams at several qualities - Storage and delivery through a content delivery network - A player that can be embedded in a website or app - Basic access control: private links, domain restrictions, passwords - Analytics: plays, watch time and drop-off - An API for automating uploads and playback ## OVP vs OTT platform An online video platform solves the video itself: getting a file to play well anywhere. It is used for marketing video, training, news sites and as a component inside other products. An OTT platform builds a complete consumer service on top of that: a branded storefront, subscriber accounts, subscriptions and rentals, apps for phones and televisions, and DRM. A business that wants to sell access to a catalog needs the second. ## When each one fits - Video embedded in your existing site, free to watch: an OVP - Internal training or communications: an OVP with access control - A subscription or rental service under your brand: an OTT platform - Apps on smart TVs and mobile: an OTT platform - Licensed content with DRM requirements: an OTT platform ## Online video platform on RentAnOTT RentAnOTT covers the video pipeline, with encoding and adaptive playback up to 4K and CDN delivery, and the service on top of it: CMS, monetization, apps and analytics, with public APIs and webhooks. [See features](https://www.rentanott.com/features). ## Related terms - [OTT platform](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/ott-platform) — An OTT platform is the software and infrastructure a business uses to run its own streaming service. It covers content management, encoding, delivery, the video player, subscriptions and payments, apps and analytics. - [Video CMS](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-cms) — A video CMS (content management system) is the back-office application where a streaming team uploads video, adds metadata and artwork, organizes titles into a catalog, sets who can watch and at what price, and publishes to the website and apps. - [Video API](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-api) — A video API is a programming interface that lets other software work with a video platform: uploading files, starting encoding, managing a catalog, checking entitlements, requesting playback and retrieving analytics, without a person using the dashboard. - [Video player](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-player) — A video player is the software on a viewer's device that requests a stream, decodes it and displays it, and provides the controls for watching. In a streaming service it also handles adaptive quality, DRM, subtitles, advertising and analytics. - [Transcoding](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/transcoding) — Transcoding is converting a video from one encoded format into another. On a streaming platform it means taking an uploaded file or a live feed and producing the several resolutions and bitrates needed for adaptive playback on every device. - [CDN](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/cdn) — A CDN (content delivery network) is a network of servers spread across many locations that stores copies of content and delivers each request from a server near the viewer. For streaming, it is what carries the video segments from the platform to the audience. - [Headless OTT](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/headless-ott) — A headless OTT platform is a streaming back end offered without a ready-made front end. Content management, video processing, entitlements and billing are exposed through APIs, and the customer builds its own website and apps on top. - [White-label OTT](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/white-label-ott) — A white-label OTT platform is ready-made streaming technology that a business launches under its own name, logo and domain. The vendor builds and operates the software; viewers see only the business's brand. ## Further reading - [OTT solution guide](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/ott-solution) - [Content monetization platforms compared](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/content-monetization-platforms) - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing) ## Frequently asked questions ### What does OVP stand for? OVP stands for online video platform. ### Is a free video-sharing site an online video platform? Not in this sense. A sharing site is a destination with its own audience, branding and advertising. An OVP is infrastructure a business pays for and presents under its own name. ### Can an OVP be used to sell subscriptions? Some offer a simple paywall. A full subscription service with apps, tiers, regional pricing and content protection is the territory of an OTT platform. All 163 terms: [Streaming and OTT glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary). ## Book a demo Tell RentAnOTT what you are launching. The team walks through the platform and maps the path to go-live around your catalog, markets and revenue model. Book a demo: https://www.rentanott.com/contact ## More from RentAnOTT - [Home](https://www.rentanott.com/index.md) — What RentAnOTT is, what every plan includes, and how launch works - [Features](https://www.rentanott.com/features.md) — Every core feature and optional add-on - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing.md) — Platform tiers, apps, add-ons, usage rates and example bills in INR and USD - [Free tools](https://www.rentanott.com/tools.md) — OTT app builder and calculators for streaming revenue, bandwidth, bitrate and pricing - [Insights](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs.md) — All streaming business articles - [Glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary.md) — Definitions of streaming and OTT terms - [Book a demo](https://www.rentanott.com/contact.md) — Talk to RentAnOTT about your launch Full site in one file: https://www.rentanott.com/llms-full.txt