This guide will help you learn the meaning of OTT with definitions, synonyms, examples, and more. You’ll never have to wonder how to use OTT again!

We live in a world full of abbreviations and acronyms. Abbreviations and acronyms have quickly become a popular way to condense a message into a small number of characters to avoid breaks in your short messages.

However, when you see abbreviations or acronyms, you might not always know which words they represent. We almost need a dictionary dedicated to all the abbreviations and acronyms we encounter! Today, we’re covering the meaning of OTT, so you can text with confidence.

What Is the Meaning of OTT?

The acronym OTT stands for Over-The-Top. It’s most commonly used in regards to streaming services. An over-the-top (OTT) media service offers its services directly to interested viewers through the internet. Viewers can bypass cable, satellite television, and broadcast platforms.

Before OTT media services, providers like cable and satellite TV were the standard distributors and controllers of media service content. OTT media services are closely associated with subscription-based video-on-demand (SVoD), but it has also been used in connection with no-carrier cell phones that charge all communication as data.

These OTT services help avoid monopolistic competition. As such, they can be seen as a threat to other service providers.

In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) classifies OTT services in two ways. OTT can be categorized as one of the following:

Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs)
Online Video Distributors (OVDs)

It’s possible with more technological advances that OTT definitions will evolve, but perhaps a look back at the history of OTT is the best way to broaden our understanding of this concept.

What Is the Origin of the Acronym OTT?

Origin stories of superheroes and villains tell us more about how they evolved into the characters we know. Similarly, the origin stories of words, phrases, abbreviations, and acronyms give us the same inside look into how an acronym like OTT evolved and where it came from.

You could say that OTT originated with the creation of the internet. Even Nikola Tesla considered the possibility of a “world wireless system” as far back as the early 1900s, but he probably wasn’t thinking about a way to watch our favorite shows.

The dream of the internet evolved from Tesla’s time to October 29, 1969, when the world’s first “node-to-node” communication was sent from one computer to another.

The internet continued to grow, develop, and evolve into the integrated part of our lives that we all know and enjoy today. Over-the-top is just one aspect of the internet’s vast world of internet, streaming, and communication.

How Do You Use the Acronym OTT?

You may not have heard of the acronym OTT before today, but you’ve likely used OTT devices, OTT platforms, and OTT apps a lot. One of the reasons OTT content is so popular and prevalent is because it is easily accessible. To stream OTT, all you need is a high-speed internet connection.

Ways to Access OTT Content

You may have multiple ways to access OTT content. Here’s your OTT checklist:

Mobile OTT devices: These are smartphones and tablets that allow you to download OTT apps to stream content on the go.
PCs: Personal computers can be used to access OTT content through desktop-based apps or your web browser.
Smart TVs: If you don’t have a smart TV, you may be able to upgrade your TV by using plug-and-play devices like Roku, Apple TV, or Firestick.
Game consoles: Gaming consoles like Playstation and Xbox often offer OTT app downloads.

Previously, you could use OTT devices to stream content, but you would still need cable to watch live TV. However, some OTT providers have stepped up their game. You can access live TV and cable TV through a service like Hulu Live using the internet access only of the cable provider that used to solely provide that content.

Apps for OTT Content

As mentioned above, OTT can refer to cellular communications that allow communication to be sent as data only. Skype is a great example of this.

OTT instant messaging services can bypass the typical throughput of your cellular provider as well. An example of this would be Facebook’s service Whatsapp.

You can access OTT media for music using an app like Spotify instead of relying on AM/FM radio or other access points.

The most popular and well-known OTT content is content streaming. Here are some of the popular OTT apps you may already know, use, and love:

Netflix
Hulu
YouTube
Disney +
HBO Max
Amazon Prime Video
Paramount

For the price of a subscription, you can bypass traditional cable and most advertising. These services are accessible using apps on Apple or Android mobile phones and other mobile devices, web browsers like Google Chrome on your laptop or PC, and other cable box cord-cutting options like Smart TVs, converters, and gaming consoles.

What Are the Synonyms of the Acronym OTT?

Synonyms can help us further understand a word’s meaning, but they can be difficult to find for acronyms. However, over-the-top as an adjective does have a few synonyms:

Exaggerated
Outrageous
Overblown
Extraordinary
Overdone
Excessive

These are great examples of how to find replacement words for over-the-top as an adjective, but they typically will not serve as replacement words for the way we use the acronym OTT today.

What Are the Antonyms of the Acronym OTT?

Antonyms help us because they are words that have the opposite meaning of what we’re learning. Like synonyms, it can be challenging to find antonyms for an acronym because acronyms tend to represent several words. However, the adjective over-the-top does have antonyms:

Understated
Realistic
Actual
Sensible
Moderate
Reduced
Played down
Unexaggerated
Depreciated
Minimized

Unfortunately, most of these antonyms cannot be applied to the way the acronym OTT is used in tech.

What Are Examples of the Acronym OTT?

Example sentences are a useful way to see a word in action. This can further our understanding of a word or acronym. Here are example sentences that use the acronym OTT:

My cousin creates the OTT files that make it possible for viewers to enjoy their favorite shows.
OTT is not the same as video streaming.
OTT content is really popular because it’s so accessible.
Streaming OTT only requires a high-speed internet connection.
OTT makes it possible for me to enjoy movies and shows in my downtime even though I’m living on a very tight budget.

The Last Word

OTT is an acronym that you may or may not have been familiar with before now, but you can see it, hear it, and use it with confidence now that you know what it means. You may have opinions about OTT, and now you can express those opinions since you’re more knowledgeable about the topic.

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.