The TV as we know it is revolutionizing right in front of us, and that is because of apps. Because the opportunity is so lucrative, OTT platforms are being designed and developed for people with older TVs. In this guide, we will discuss more OTT platforms, and therefore read along to find out everything OTT.

Part 1: What is OTT?

First and foremost, what is OTT and OTT meaning? The acronym OTT stands for Over-the-Top. Quite simply, this term explains the new delivery method of movies, TV shows and documentaries over the internet whenever and wherever we want, across many different devices, and without the need for traditional broadcast, cable or satellite pay-TV providers.

OTT platforms are generally divided into three. They limit access to paying viewers using one of these methods:

  • TVOD: Viewers pay for access on a pay-per-view basis.
  • SVOD: Viewers are granted unlimited on-demand access to the platform on a subscription basis.
  • AVOD: Broadcasters monetize their content with sponsored advertisements, making the content free.

Part 2: What is OTT box?

There has been more than a 120% increase in the number of users streaming OTT between 2020 and 2022, and that is mostly due to OTT boxes. An OTT box is a device that uses the internet infrastructure to get digital media content and broadcast it on your TV. The most common types of OTT boxes use Android, although Apple has entered this lucrative market with its own product, the Apple TV. On the next segment of this guide, we will discuss about OTT streaming services.

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Part 3: 10 most popular OTT streaming services

Now that you know what is OTT, and some of the OTT platforms available out there, here are 10 of the most popular OTT streaming services available right now;

1. Netflix

When it comes OTT streaming services, the first name that comes to everyone’s mind is Netflix. Netflix is the absolute king of all streaming services, and one of the better movies and TV show studios. Some of the most famous TV shows produced by Netflix include Stranger Things, The Crown, Black Mirror and much more. It has so much content that the company spends a staggering $150 million every year to improve their recommendation system, that way you can spend less time deciding on what to watch. In July 2019, Elon Musk announced that users would also be able to stream Netflix in their Tesla cars. Netflix costs $6.99 (with ads), all the way to $19.99 a month.

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2. Hulu

Hulu is probably the second biggest premium OTT streaming service, which also has plenty to offer. Hulu offers you live and on-demand TV and movies, with and without commercials. There are also four premium add-ons for Hulu, which include HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz, which should give you access to the movies and TV shows from those services. Some of the most popular TV shows on Hulu include Freaks and Geeks, Atlanta, The Great and of course Bob’s Burgers. You can get Hulu from as little as $5.99 a month (supported with ads), or $11.99 for an ad-free tier.

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3. HBO Max

If you are a fan of Warner Bros., DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Studio Ghibli, TCM and Max Originals, there is only one place to watch the combination of that content, and that is only through HBO Max OTT stream. HBO Max, which started originally started as a premium cable channel is also known as a streaming service that combines HBO's library of original series with a huge catalog of blockbuster movies and TV shows provided by Warner Bros. Discovery. HBO Max plans start at $9.99 a month.

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4. Disney Plus

This is also among the best OTT TV services available. The platform hosts a significant portion of the Disney’s massive content archive, as well as content from Marvel Studios, National Geographic and Pixar. It is also the only exclusive place to watch shows like The Mandalorian, Hawkeye, WandaVision, and Obi-wan Kenobi. Although the library is not as massive as that of Netflix, it only costs $8 a month which is why cheaper than $20 a month from Netflix. You can also bundle it with Hulu and ESPN+ at an additional cost.

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5. Discovery Plus

Some people are not about movies or TV shows, but for documentaries, which is why Warner Bros. launched Discovery Plus, which can be summed up as the ‘Netflix of documentaries’. Discovery Plus gives you access to more than 70,000 episodes of over 2500+ documentary TV shows from Discovery, Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV, TLC, Motor Trend and more. Discovery Plus costs $4.99 (with ads), or $6.99 (without ads). That definitely makes it the best OTT streaming platform for documentaries.

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6. Amazon Prime Video

Amazon's streaming service, Prime Video. You can find TV shows, movies and documentaries on Amazon Prime Video in different genres. There are two ways to get Amazon Prime Video; You can pay a monthly rate of $8.99 to access Amazon Prime Video as a standalone membership, or you can pay $12.99 a month for standalone Prime. Apart from subscribing for the service, Prime Video is also a place to rent movies, and it will cost just $2.99 to rent Venom 2.

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7. Apple TV Plus

Apple also joined the streaming wars, with TV plus which is slowly becoming a strong competitor to the likes of Disney Plus and Paramount Plus. Apple?TV Plus is a basically streaming service featuring Apple Originals (award-winning series, compelling dramas, groundbreaking documentaries, kids’ entertainment, comedies, and more) with new Apple Originals added every month. A monthly subscription to this OTT streaming service is just $6.99?per month after a free seven-day trial.

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8. Paramount Plus

Paramount Plus is yet another streaming platform that is just as good as some of its competitors, like Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus, because of its exclusive shows like 1899. Paramount Plus was originally called CBS All Access, which in our opinion was not a catchy name. The re-naming was not only cosmetic, as it is now using the vast content library of Paramount Pictures and ViacomCBS’s TV properties. While it is planning to revive some famous content, they have a ton of upcoming shows and movies. Moreover, Paramount Plus offers live sports, as well as breaking news for its subscribers. Paramount plus costs $6.99 a month.

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9. U-NEXT

U-NEXT is a Japanese streaming service and digital content platform that offers movies, TV shows, anime, manga, music, and much more. In Japan, it has the third largest market share after Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which makes it the biggest domestic representative in Japan. As a Japanese streaming service, U-NEXT Japan offers a variety of Japan-focused content like TV shows from Japan, as well as other Asian countries that cannot be found anywhere else.

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10. Vudu

The OTT video services mentioned above are vastly paid for, but what about the free ones? Not every piece of TV show or movie is worth paying for, and Vudu recognizes this, which is why they have a free streaming option, as well as content available on renting/ buying terms. The free movies and TV shows are ad-supported, while the prices of premium movies and TV shows varies. You can also rent movies and TV shows from Vudu.

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Part 4: Best program to download videos from OTT streaming platform

The 10 most popular OTT streaming services without a doubt will give you world class entertainment for your lifetime, just as long as you have enough time to sit down and watch the content. If you do not have an OTT box, you can still watch the best OTT TV service from your mobile devices, or from your computer right from the respective websites. This brings us to the question of downloading from the best OTT services around, the most important being whether or not it is possible to download from them. Downloading videos/live streams for offline playback presents a lot of benefits for the end user, and we are happy to say that with a tool like CleverGet Video Downloader downloading from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Pinterest, etc. Apart from those streaming services, you will also be able to download from 1000+ other websites. Here are a few more things you need to know about this video downloader;

  • CleverGet
  • CleverGet Video Downloader

    Download Movie Video With 320 Kbps audio.
    Easily Download Live Streams Without Quality Loss.
    Video Info Extractor.
    Supports Playlist Downloading.
    Support Multi-tasking & Video Info Extractor Inside.
    Ease-of-use UI.

To start downloading from your favorite OTT video services, please follow the steps below;

Step 1: Adjust the general settings for downloading videos/movies

From the list presented, select the ideal video with parameters that suite your needs (such as quality and format).

Crunchyroll

Step 2: Visit the target site

Search for the videos/movies you would like to download. Copy and paste the address from your address bar.

Crunchyroll

Step 3: Launch this video downloader

Paste the link into the address bar of CleverGet, which should automatically detects downloadable videos and present all of them. After that, click to download the video.

Crunchyroll