--- title: "What Is OTT? Over-the-Top Explained | RentAnOTT" description: "OTT means delivering video over the internet, direct to viewers, without a cable or satellite operator. See how it works and how it differs from IPTV." url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/ott" markdown_url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/ott.md" category: "Platform" updated: "2026-10-05" --- # What is OTT? OTT (over-the-top) is the delivery of video to viewers over the open internet, direct from the service to the viewer's device, without a cable, satellite or telecom operator controlling the distribution. ## How OTT works The name comes from going over the top of the traditional operator. Video is encoded into several quality levels, stored, and delivered through a content delivery network to an app or browser. The player picks the quality that suits the viewer's connection and adjusts as it changes. All the viewer needs is an internet connection and a device: a phone, a computer, a smart TV or a streaming stick. ## Types of OTT service - SVOD: a catalog for a recurring subscription - AVOD: free to watch, paid for by advertising - TVOD: rentals, purchases and pay-per-view - Live and linear: channels and events streamed as they happen - FAST: free, ad-supported scheduled channels ## OTT vs IPTV vs cable Cable and satellite deliver channels over the operator's own network to its own box. IPTV also uses internet protocol but over a managed network run by a telecom operator, with guaranteed quality and a set-top box. OTT uses the public internet and any device, which is why anyone who owns content can launch one. ## What it takes to launch an OTT service - Content you own or have licensed for streaming - A platform: content management, encoding, delivery, player and apps - A way to earn: subscriptions, advertising, sales or a mix - Protection suited to the content, such as DRM for licensed titles - Apps on the devices your audience uses ## OTT on RentAnOTT RentAnOTT is a white-label OTT platform: a branded website, CMS and apps for mobile and TV, with live and on-demand video and AVOD, SVOD and TVOD on every plan, from $169/month. [See pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing). ## 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. - [VOD](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/vod) — VOD (video on demand) is video that a viewer can choose and start at any time, instead of having to watch at the time a broadcaster schedules it. Films, series and recorded events on a streaming service are all VOD. - [IPTV](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/iptv) — IPTV (internet protocol television) is the delivery of television channels and on-demand video using internet protocol. In its original sense it runs over a telecom operator's own managed network to a set-top box, rather than over the open internet. - [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. - [SVOD](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/svod) — SVOD (subscription video on demand) is a streaming model where viewers pay a recurring fee, usually monthly or yearly, for unlimited access to a catalog of on-demand video. - [AVOD](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/avod) — AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) is a streaming model where viewers watch on-demand video for free and the service earns from the ads shown before, during or after it. - [CTV](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/ctv) — CTV (connected TV) is a television that can stream video over the internet, either because it is a smart TV or because a streaming stick, set-top box or games console is attached to it. - [D2C streaming](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/d2c-streaming) — D2C (direct-to-consumer) streaming is a content owner distributing video straight to viewers through its own branded service, instead of licensing it to a broadcaster, an operator or another streaming service. - [Live streaming](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/live-streaming) — Live streaming is delivering video over the internet as it is captured, so that viewers watch an event while it is happening, with a delay of a few seconds rather than after a recording has been uploaded. ## Further reading - [OTT solution guide](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/ott-solution) - [How to start a streaming service](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/how-to-start-a-streaming-service) - [Features](https://www.rentanott.com/features) ## Frequently asked questions ### What does OTT stand for? OTT stands for over-the-top, meaning video delivered over the internet on top of, rather than through, a traditional TV operator. ### Is OTT the same as streaming? In everyday use, yes. Streaming is the technique of playing video as it downloads; OTT is the business of delivering video that way, direct to viewers over the internet. ### Is OTT the same as connected TV? No. OTT describes how the video is delivered. Connected TV describes one kind of device it is watched on. OTT video is also watched on phones, tablets and computers. 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