Video streaming or streaming media is a method of data transmission commonly used for multimedia files. Content that is transmitted in this way is usually called a live video stream. The playback of the content on the user’s device starts as soon as it is opened, without having to first download it fully as a file and then start it in a suitable player.

The data transmission takes place simultaneously with the reproduction, so a constant network connection is required. The name refers to the method, not to the environment itself, which depends
on the type of network. This usually applies to telecommunications networks, as most other methods of
delivering content are either live (traditional radio and television) or not (books, video tapes, audio discs).

Internet TV is an example of a “streaming” environment, but there are others, such as streaming text (subtitles, stock quotes, etc.).
Streaming requires equipment to generate content as a video stream, an encoding system for digitizing it, a
media publisher that provides the stream to the network that routes it and delivers it to the end user. One of
the main challenges for technology is security in cases where the number of recipients is limited. Digital Rights
Management (DRM) systems are an example of content protection.
The media stream can be broadcast live or on demand. Live streaming is done in ways called true streaming. It
sends the information directly to the computer or device without saving it. On-demand transmission is
provided by means called progressive streaming or progressive download. It saves the file to the hard disk and
then plays it from the recording location. These streams are saved on hard drives and servers for a longer
period of time, while live broadcasts are only available for a limited time (for example, during a football match).