Internet streaming media, also known as over-the-top content (OTT) is a part of our everyday reality and affecting every entertainment medium. OTT-TV services have a steep growth potential, as a growing number of people worldwide already watch Internet video on their TV sets—and more regularly.
With the growth in digital services, video content is available on more devices through more services than ever before. Consumer demands are evolving on an almost daily basis.
This growth in OTT video services presents a major challenge for communication service providers (CSPs), since mobile data revenue isn’t enough to make up for the decline in legacy services such as voice and SMS, as a growing number of customers shift to applications such as the WhatsApp, Skype and Lync. Increasing competition is resulting in a need for CSPs to deliver convergent services and look for innovative ways to integrate previously separate technologies, such as voice, data and video. Additionally, OTT content providers are becoming more aggressive about acquiring and creating content. Netflix, an Internet-based video-on-demand service, for example, recently outbid more traditional players to become the exclusive outlet for movies from The Weinstein Company—a multimedia production and distribution company—beginning in 2016.
Another type of threat comes from major high-tech and software players that are creating offerings that combine devices and services. An integrated stack of services, applications, operating systems, devices and chipsets is one of the biggest challenges to the plug-and-play distribution model today.
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