CTV & video · also called Over-the-top
OTT (over-the-top)
OTT (over-the-top) means video and audio content delivered over the internet directly to viewers, bypassing cable, satellite or broadcast distribution, and watchable on any device.
OTT describes how content reaches you: "over the top" of traditional pay-TV networks, via the open internet. Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Hulu, JioHotstar and BBC iPlayer are all OTT services.
The term is often used interchangeably with CTV, but they differ. OTT is the delivery method and business model; CTV is the device, the television screen. You can watch OTT content on a phone, laptop or tablet, as well as on a connected TV. In ad buying, "OTT" sometimes means all streaming video inventory across devices, while "CTV" means only the TV screen, so it helps to clarify.
OTT services monetise through subscriptions (SVOD), advertising (AVOD and FAST), or hybrids like ad-supported tiers. Ads are delivered using VAST, often via SSAI for smooth, broadcast-like playback. The shift to OTT has pulled ad budgets from Linear TV to streaming, and brought programmatic methods, identity and measurement challenges into TV.
Think of it like this
OTT is like getting your newspaper delivered by email rather than by the paper boy; CTV is reading it on the big screen in the living room.
An example
A sports streaming service in Brazil delivers matches OTT to phones, laptops and smart TVs. Ads on the TV app are sold as CTV; ads on phones are sold as mobile video.
Related terms
CTV (connected TV)
CTV (connected TV) is any television connected to the internet, such as a smart TV, streaming stick, games console or set-top box, and the advertising shown in streaming apps on it.
AVOD
AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) is streaming video that viewers watch on demand for free or at reduced cost, funded by showing ads before or during the content.
SVOD
SVOD (subscription video on demand) is streaming video paid for by a recurring subscription, traditionally without ads, such as the ad-free tiers of Netflix or Disney+.
SSAI (server-side ad insertion)
SSAI (server-side ad insertion) stitches video ads directly into the content stream on a server before it reaches the viewer, creating seamless, TV-like playback that ad blockers find hard to detect.
Linear TV
Linear TV is traditional scheduled television, broadcast, cable or satellite, where viewers watch programmes at the time the channel airs them, with ad breaks sold to all viewers of that channel.
Sources: IAB Tech Lab CTV standards