09/04/2026
Ever heard someone say OTT and CTV and thought, what does that mean when it’s all just streaming on the TV anyway? While people often use these terms interchangeably, understanding how they overlap comes down to distinguishing between what you are watching, how it gets to you, and where it displays.
▪️Streaming TV is the umbrella term for the consumer experience
▪️OTT refers to the method of delivery. The term "over-the-top" originated because video services bypass ("go over the top of") traditional cable box infrastructure
▪️CTV refers specifically to the physical hardware device used to watch TV-style content on a traditional television screen like a Fire stick device.