Over-the-Top Video-streaming Services

Abstract

We are living in a transitional time in the video industry where the business of television is being redefined. The traditional television players, including broadcasters, cable operators, telephone–TV service providers and program producers are steadily transitioning into a new class of hybrid-media companies capable of designing both television programs as well as engaging in the live-streaming of programs to the end user. Central to this discussion is the future of over-the-top (OTT) video services; that is, television programming that can be video streamed via the Internet to both smart homes as well as various kinds of mobile devices including smartphones, computer tablets and laptop computers. Consumers can select what they want to watch and when. It is the quintessential form of video on demand. The success of Netflix proved to be a catalyst for change by opening up the door for other OTT video services, including Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max and Hulu to name only a few. As a consequence, more and more television viewers are “cutting the cord” to expensive cable television services. Instead, they are relying on OTT as an alternative television program service. At issue, is the number of OTT services now being developed by both the television networks as well as dedicated cable programming services. This chapter will consider the business of OTT video streaming services. Television Anywhere One of the most profound trends facing the television industry is the importance of accessing program content anytime, anywhere and on any platform. While developing a multiscreen environment creates a huge opportunity for broadcasters and cable programmers, it also presents a number of challenges as well. Never before has the expression “content is king” become a more relevant phrase to describe the state-of-the-industry. Today’s broadcaster and cable programmer are now having to jockey for position in order to command the viewer’s attention given the explosion in television content that is now available.