Enveu Media & OTT Glossary

A practical knowledge base for OTT platforms, streaming tech, monetization, playback, analytics, DRM, FAST, and media operations. Use A–Z to browse or search to jump to a term.

Direct Carrier Billing

Direct Carrier Billing allows users to pay for OTT subscriptions or content by charging purchases directly to their mobile carrier bill instead of using cards or wallets.

What is Direct Carrier Billing?

Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) is a payment method that enables users to purchase digital services by adding charges directly to their mobile phone bill or prepaid balance.

How Direct Carrier Billing works in OTT platforms

When a user selects carrier billing at checkout, the OTT platform connects with the telecom operator to authenticate the user and authorize the transaction. The charge is then added to the user’s postpaid bill or deducted from their prepaid balance.

Use cases for Direct Carrier Billing

DCB is commonly used for subscriptions, pay-per-view events, microtransactions, and premium content access, especially in mobile-first and emerging markets.

Benefits of Direct Carrier Billing

Carrier billing reduces payment friction, increases conversion rates, and enables monetization for users who do not have access to credit cards or digital wallets.

Direct Carrier Billing in OTT monetization

OTT platforms use DCB to expand reach, improve user acquisition, and support alternative payment flows alongside cards, wallets, and app store billing.