What is streaming?

Streaming is the latest step in a journey that’s taken us all the way from records and cassettes to CDs and DVDs and, more recently, to downloads. It’s a seamless way of watching or listening to all sorts of content such as TV shows, films, sports highlights, and music, over an internet connection in ‘real time’, without having to download a file or store it on your device. You can either stream ‘on-demand’ or live. YouTube was one of the first video streaming services to go mainstream, but today many of the world’s most popular websites are streaming platforms, including Netflix, Spotify, and BBC iPlayer.

For more information on the associated risks and online safety tips for parents and carers, watch our explainer video, available to those with a National Online Safety membership.

Streaming

A seemingly endless array of content - live or on demand - is available through young people's phones, televisions, tablets and computers. If streaming feels like uncharted waters, then our bite-size video will quickly put you in the picture.