OTT (Over The Top) refers to the distribution of film and content over the internet, without leaning on traditional cable subscriptions. The term is generally applied to OTT digital broadcast delivery but it has also been used to represent new-age messaging apps, television setups, and voice and video calling.
Today’s popular OTT TV providers include Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Apple TV, and Hotstar. Highly used OTT TV players include Apple TV and Amazon Fire Stick, which make OTT video playing accessible without the use of a traditional cable set-top box.
How OTT is Positioned to Grow
The price of an OTT media distribution and the access general consumers have to national and international content has been influential in their pivot towards OTT platforms. Technology firms are also looking to make progress in OTT TV app development as a result.
Regional shows are also doing splendidly, in fact, 40% of Hotstar’s total video consumption comes from the regional content that they broadcast on the platform on-demand.
This shows that the growth of OTT platforms isn’t restricted to metro cities alone; content has permeated to different pockets of the country in both access and the stories they tell. However, OTT TV solutions have also made inroads towards international shows that were otherwise inaccessible to people in other countries.
For filmmakers, using an online TV platform has created new levels
of creative freedom, especially given that the regulations on these platforms, for certain types of content, aren’t as strict as traditional TV channels. Additionally, their audience base has increased, as has their reach, and this provides more incentive for experimentation with lower risks and operational costs. As a result, nearly every topic can be explored and almost every audience tapped into through OTT content delivery, regardless of where they are in the world.
of creative freedom, especially given that the regulations on these platforms, for certain types of content, aren’t as strict as traditional TV channels. Additionally, their audience base has increased, as has their reach, and this provides more incentive for experimentation with lower risks and operational costs. As a result, nearly every topic can be explored and almost every audience tapped into through OTT content delivery, regardless of where they are in the world.
The latter is a driving force in convincing content distributors and owners to take to OTT platforms to distribute their content. It also helps that many OTT TV services allow for multiple revenue streams, from daily and yearly subscriptions to renting and buying movies digitally.
How OTT is Changing the Media Landscape
- OTT allows for variety: OTT video distribution platforms can host thousands of programmes and shows all at once, across categories, languages, and durations. Best OTT platforms also do not answer to the traditional rules and regulations that TV channels have to, which means they have a lot more broadcasting freedom. This variety of content is excellent for viewers looking to broaden their horizons with shows from a variety of geographies and creators.
- OTT enables customisation: OTT TV solutions enable viewers to customise their own list of shows to watch, which helps them shape what they want to see. This transfers the power of viewership to the viewers themselves, instead of them having to choose from a pre-scheduled set of programmes as is the case with TV channels. OTT platforms also use recommendations to expose viewers to more content they may enjoy, which makes the experience a lot more personalised.
- OTT improves the user experience: Previous viewer experience
was entirely dependent on televisions and cinema capacities. Today, however, viewers can catch new shows and rewatch their favorite films from the comfort of their home on their phone, laptop, or tablet and with a single OTT video subscription. In the long run, this improves user experience as they are fully in control of what they want to watch, and when and where they want to watch it.
How OTT Video Distribution Platforms are a Rising Advertising Medium
White label OTT advertising is leagues ahead of its traditional counterparts due to highly precise targeting and enhanced tracking features. The hyper-segmentation of the target audience makes it highly likely that advertisers will see success and higher conversions when compared to other forms of advertising.
OTT advertising has different metrics that are used to judge a campaign’s success — video completion rate, click-through rate, and attribution rate. Since there is no limit to the number of micro and macro-targeting strategies that an advertiser can use, OTT video distribution platforms have potential that is still untapped.
The Advanced Features that Revolutionised the Viewing Experience
Some features set the OTT TV platform technology apart from the traditional viewing experience, regardless of whether you choose an external provider or build your own IPTV streaming service. They have become table stakes for new players looking to enter the market.
- Play, pause, rewind, and forward: These essential features allow viewers to further customize their viewing experience according to their schedule and timeline. It promotes better engagement with the content and creates a more freeing content consumption experience.
- Multi-device support: Top OTT video platform companies have customized their platform to work on a variety of devices according to their preferred dimensions, resolutions, and scale. As a result, you can begin watching a show on your laptop at home and finish it on the road with your mobile phone. This makes content even more accessible and portable, which had never happened before when TV was the sole method of consumption.
- Cost-effectiveness: OTT streaming media subscriptions can be much cheaper than paying for traditional cable TV every month. The price also grants viewers unlimited access to any content across their platforms — it also allows them to view on as many shows as they want, or one movie multiple times, without restrictions. This makes OTT content consumption much more cost-effective.
- Globally curated content: OTT broadcast video solutions make content from all over the world accessible on one platform. This widens the scope of OTT secure tv platform technology and gives viewers access to the content they would otherwise have never even seen or heard of.
- No language barrier: The additional layer of dubbing and subtitling on OTT platforms makes content consumable regardless of the language or country it is from. This is a much-needed departure from traditional TV media which was always segmented based on language and region, thereby limiting the audience and reach.
- Live sports made accessible: Live streaming and playbacks are yet another advantage of OTT TV streaming and related IPTV OTT solutions, which broadcasts games being played in real-time even on a phone or a laptop. As a result, sports can be consumed at any time, anywhere, and at any scale.
- Original content: The success of OTT media delivery has empowered more creators and content distributors to create and distribute original content. Virtually no topic is left untouched, and the immediate access to a far-reaching audience can result in higher levels of success than would’ve been seen in traditionally restrictive TV setups.
- Feedback and chat rooms: OTT streaming video providers are invested in the success of their platform and the experience of their viewers. As a result, many are very open to taking and implementing feedback. Chat rooms serve dual purposes here — they allow for a better customer service experience. For viewers, however, they mimic the experience of watching and discussing a show together with friends, as one did in the cinema or one house, albeit with everyone in their own homes and on their own devices.
- Quality of experience: Overall, OTT online TV platforms are more likely to provide a more personalised and invested user experience than traditional forms of TV content. The access to content, coupled with affordable prices and ease of use, makes this a winner in many eyes.
The Final Word on OTT Revolutionising Technology
OTT broadcast video solutions have long become part and parcel of our lives, yet what we know about it seems to be restricted to two or three popular names. However, the OTT TV platforms market is a burgeoning
one that is projected to reach $332.52 billion by 2025. The increasing permeation of smartphones also democratised the viewing process, bringing content, which was once restricted to cinemas and TVs, to the palms of millions around the world.
one that is projected to reach $332.52 billion by 2025. The increasing permeation of smartphones also democratised the viewing process, bringing content, which was once restricted to cinemas and TVs, to the palms of millions around the world.
OTT streaming solutions are capable of providing the perfect end-to-end user experience for all types of audiences across the world. For content distributors and owners, using an OTT app solutions provider can pave inroads for better profits and differentiated income streams. It’s a win-win situation.