Are you a person who enjoys watching movies from OTT services like Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Apple TV, Hulu, Viu, Vidio, or Iflix? Do you know the role of CDN in OTT?

Most of the OTT platform subscribers above are probably not very familiar with what OTT is, especially the role of CDN in OTT. Therefore, Telkom DWS as a Digital Wholesale Service provider will share insights with you.

Get to know OTT

Over-the-Top or abbreviated as OTT refers to the method of delivering content over the internet. Some of us may be familiar with OTT products in the form of movies, television shows, and series aired by various Production Houses. In fact, the content delivered is also diverse, such as video and audio streaming, messaging, and VoIP. 

The term Over-the-Top or skip refers to the understanding that current platforms go beyond conventional platforms. This shows significant differences with broadcasting, cable, or satellite TV platforms, which govern their broadcasting. Through OTT services, every user can stream any content at any time as long as the device is connected to adequate internet.

Get to know CDN

Content Delivery Network or CDN is a network of servers to store data that is strategically placed in several data centers in different locations. Generally, CDNs are used to help OTT platforms to provide a perfect user experience through two main features, namely content caching and multiple points of presence.

The content caching CDN feature on OTT helps to have content stored at the closest point to the end user. Meanwhile, the CDN's points of presence feature helps ensure every content request made by a user is available through a nearby server. With both CDN features, OTT user requests will be served faster so as to reduce latency and increase buffering speed.

The role of CDNs in OTT

The best performance perceived by OTT users occurs through the role of the CDN in OTT as follows:

1. Content Traffic Management, where the CDN manages the entry and exit of OTT content, moves it from the origin server to the final ISP network, and then sends it to an IP-connected device.  

2. Session Management, where the CDN monitors and manages streaming sessions, starting from the aspects of IP address, device type, and bitrate. 

3. Content Storage, where a CDN stores a wide variety of high-performance assets, be it long-term storage — such as VOD assets (movies, TV series, etc.) — as well as short-term storage — such as downloaded TV series episodes or live replayable content. 

4. Content Management, where CDN ensures storage efficiency and bandwidth by using a First In First Out operational model. 

5. Load Balancing, where the CDN is responsible for delivering content with even load sharing among cache servers that deliver specific content. 

6. Monitoring Platform, where the CDN monitors all hardware, software, and networks to route streaming requests appropriately. 

Scale-out Management, where the CDN works to integrate new capacity (by bringing a new cache online and adding it to a server group) into its network thus smoothly expanding streaming and storage capacity.

A lot of information and developments in digital technology around you need to be understood more deeply. This has the potential also for the development of your business. Want to know various information related to the latest digital technology? Or do you need the help of a partner who is an expert in the field of digital technology? Contact Telkom DWS immediately!