IPTV in the context of "On demand television"

An over-the-top media service, also known as over-the-top television (OTT), is a digital distribution service of video and audio delivered directly to viewers via the public Internet, rather than through an over-the-air, cable, satellite, or IPTV provider. The term is synonymous with streaming platform.

OTT services may be subscription-based or free, and are typically accessed via television sets with integrated Smart TV platforms, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, video game consoles, websites on personal computers, and apps on smartphones and tablets.

Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as films and series, over the Internet. In contrast to over-the-air, cable, and satellite transmissions, or IPTV service, streaming television is provided as over-the-top media (OTT). Television content includes productions made by or for OTT services, and acquired by them with licensing agreements. The length of a streaming television series episode can be anywhere from thirty to sixty minutes (some episodes may be longer).

Of the top streaming platforms, Netflix had over 301 million subscribers as of December 2024, making it the most popular global streaming television platform. In 2024, streaming television became "the dominant form of TV viewing" in the United States. It surpassed cable and network television viewing in 2025.

Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typical static broadcasting schedule, which was popular under traditional broadcast programming, instead involving newer modes of content consumption that have risen as Internet and IPTV technologies have become prominent, and culminated in the arrival of VOD and over-the-top (OTT) media services on televisions and personal computers.

Television VOD systems can stream content, either through a traditional set-top box or through remote devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones. VOD users may also permanently play content to a device such as a computer, digital video recorder (DVR) or, a portable media player for continued viewing. The majority of cable and telecommunications company–based television providers offer MOD streaming, whereby a user selects a video programme that begins to play immediately, or downloading to a rented or purchased from the provider, to a device for deferred viewing.

Sky UK Limited (formerly British Sky Broadcasting Limited (BSkyB)), trading as Sky, is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television, broadband internet, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of Sky Group (currently owned by Comcast) and is headquartered at the Sky Studios in Isleworth.

Sky is a major media company and the largest British broadcaster by revenue. It operates the Sky News news media organisation, Sky Sports which is the largest sports TV broadcaster in the UK, and the Sky Studios film and TV production company. Sky is also the country's leading provider of pay-TV services (12.7 million customers as of the end of 2019) through its satellite TV platform Sky Q as well as the IPTV-based Sky Glass and Sky Stream products. Its flagship channels include Sky Showcase, Sky Max, Sky Witness, Sky Documentaries, Sky Atlantic, and Sky Cinema. Sky is also one of the "big four" internet service providers.

A smart TV, also known as a connected TV (CTV, or rarely, CoTV), is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features that allow users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart TVs are a technological convergence of computers, televisions, and digital media players. Besides the traditional functions of television sets provided through traditional broadcasting media, these devices can provide access to over-the-top media services such as streaming television and internet radio, along with home networking access.

Smart TV is different from Internet TV, IPTV, or streaming television. Internet TV refers to receiving television content over the Internet instead of traditional systems such as terrestrial, cable, and satellite, regardless of how the Internet is delivered. IPTV is one of the Internet television technology standards for use by television broadcasters. Streaming television is a term used for programs created by many producers for showing on Internet TV.