Streaming media is media that is consumed (heard or viewed) (mostly in the form of clips) whilst it is being delivered. Streaming is more a property of the delivery system than the media itself. The distinction is usually applied to media that are distributed over computer networks; most other delivery systems are either inherently streaming (radio, television) or inherently non-streaming (books, video cassettes, audio CDs).

The word "stream" is also used as a verb, meaning to deliver streaming media.