If you’ve never heard of over-the-top (OTT) media services, you’re not alone. OTT is one of the most broadly used services today, even if many have never heard its name.

If you’re anything like me, your evening probably looks something like this: You finish up the day’s work, head home, cook, and clean up after dinner. Then, it’s time to settle into the couch with your significant other — and that’s where the debate about what to watch on TV begins. Watching shows in the living room at the end of the day is one of the most popular nightly rituals for Americans, and it’s one that’s remained largely unchanged over the past half-century.

What has changed is what we’re watching and how we’re accessing it. In the past, those nightly debates about what to watch were most likely pretty quick, since there were only a limited number of shows airing at any particular time. Today, we have instant access to thousands of shows through various platforms, and that’s shifted our habit of watching one episode at a time to binge watching. There are loads of options out there that let us circumvent traditional media options like antenna, cable, or satellite. Now, many people turn to on-demand streaming subscriptions like Netflix, Hulu, or Sling. These media services are called over-the-top, or OTT for short.

The Rise of OTT

OTT viewership has grown exponentially since around 2014. In fact, average daily consumption has increased by a whopping 90% across all age groups, according to Nielson. On top of that, over 63% of OTT viewership is occurring in the living room on a TV screen. With its incredible rise in popularity, OTT has become an integral part of any successful broadcast and cable TV media mix.

Better Targeting with OTT

Savvy marketers know that OTT combines the efficiency of digital targeting with a full-screen, TV-like environment. That allows advertisers to focus on specific audiences, rather than demographics, layering first- and third-party data to put the right video messages in front of the right users at the right time. OTT offers the best aspects of TV media while allowing for targeting down to the zip code level. Marketers can even layer in factors such as children in the home, pets in the home, household income, and purchasing intent. That’s a lot of control, and better control means better results.

Getting the most from OTT

Once you’ve made the decision to incorporate OTT into your media mix, it’s important to find a trusted partner who’s an expert in OTT and can help you get the most from this platform. Infinity Marketing’s partners offer best-in-class targeting and transparency, ensuring our clients’ impressions are served in the best possible environment for maximum effectiveness. We receive real-time reporting based on device, platform, completion rate, and hours of engagement, and with those insights, we can drive greater efficiency for your business.