Watermarking solutions remain especially popular for premium content like sports, while blocking capabilities are also growing – albeit with some controversy, writes David Davies.
Broadcasters and media service providers now have more options than ever before in terms of technologies and techniques to combat illegitimate activity propagated by organised crime groups and, increasingly, nation-states. Two of these mechanisms include watermarking and blocking.
The former is not particularly new, of course, but is now increasingly prevalent across streaming services, especially those involving premium content such as sports and tentpole dramas. But the way in which watermarking is delivered is continuing to mature and evolve, with ‘as-a-service’ models now commonplace.
The rise of blocking, however, is more recent and has attracted some controversy because of perceived drawbacks like the possible inadvertent obstruction of legitimate services. For instance, the recently launched Pirate Shield project in Italy, which aims to protect the big sports rights holders – such as DAZN, Sky, Prime Video and Infinity – by blocking unauthorised viewing of live events has attracted criticism from some ISPs, VPNs and consumers. At the least, further refinements would seem to be inevitable...
You are not signed in.
Only registered users can view this article.
Behaviour-based data: Defining the advertising audience
A shift to defining audiences based on behavioural characteristics, allied to greater use of programmatic trading, could help boost the TV ad market, Xperi’s Chris Kleinschmidt tells IBC365.
How sport is embracing DTC at both ends of the playing field
Kevin Emmott reports on how two English football clubs at starkly different points of the football pyramid are going direct to fanbases with their content output.
Sustainable streaming: Delivering a greener vision for OTT
Increasingly powerful analysis platforms, infrastructure optimisation, improved resource utilisation and new methods of compression are among the developments helping the streaming sector to reduce its environmental impact, writes David Davies.
Creating a new sense of place for Welsh media innovation
The emergent virtual production scene in Wales has been boosted by the arrival of two new world-class facilities in recent months, both secured with the collaborative backing of Media Cymru. James McKeown spoke to Media Cymru’s Deputy Director, Professor Sara Pepper OBE, about the consortium’s mission to put Wales on the global media innovation map.
Flawless AI: “You can't put new lines in people's mouths without consent”
AI tools like Flawless visual dubbing are making a strong case for standard use in Hollywood.
