In today’s digital world, we hear a lot about streaming and downloading movies, music, and other media. If you’re confused about the difference between streaming and downloading, you’re not alone. For example, is watching a YouTube video considered streaming or downloading? We’ll break down the differences between these two types of Internet content serving and help you better understand your digital media.

Streaming is a way to watch or listen to content without having to download it. You often hear the term "streaming" in relation to watching movies and listening to music on the Internet.

Streaming is a fast way to access content on the internet. The content is quickly sent to your device, but it is not stored there. Streaming content can be “live” in the cloud, or on someone else’s computer or server. For example, if you stream a movie from Amazon Prime, you can enjoy it on your Roku, smart TV, or other device, but the movie is stored on Amazon’s servers. When you’re done watching, there is no copy on your device.

Popular sites and services that stream content include Netflix, Fandango at Home, Pandora, Hulu, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and many more.