User:Lionwolf53/Over-the-top media service

Types of content[edit]
OTT television, usually called online television or internet television or streaming television, remains the most popular OTT content. This signal is received over the Internet or through a cell phone network, as opposed to receiving the television signal from a terrestrial broadcast or satellite. Access is controlled by the video distributor, through either an app or a separate OTT dongle or box, connected to a phone, PC or smart television set. By mid-2017, 58% of US households would access one in a given month and advertising revenues from OTT channels exceeded those from web browser plug-ins. The current record of simultaneous users watching an OTT event was set at 18.6 million by Disney's Indian video streaming platform Hotstar.

OTT messaging is defined as instant messaging services or online chat provided by third parties as an alternative to text messaging services provided by a mobile network operator. A particular example is the Facebook-owned mobile application WhatsApp, that serves to replace text messaging on Internet connected smartphones. Other providers of OTT messaging include Viber, WeChat, FaceTime, Skype, Telegram and the now defunct Google Allo.

OTT voice calling, usually called VoIP, capabilities, for instance, as provided by Skype, WeChat, Viber, and WhatsApp use open internet communication protocols to replace and sometimes enhance existing operator controlled services offered by mobile phone operators.