In early September 2025, the Trusted Partner Network (TPN) will launch its next-generation Shield tier system, which introduces two new tiers – Silver and Gold Star.
The updated, four-tier system will reflect a service provider’s current security status. The first, Blue Shield, will demonstrate that the service provider has completed and published a self-assessment. Next, the Silver Shield (formerly Classic Gold) will show that an assessment has been completed and a remediation plan has been submitted. Third, the Gold Shield will certify that the service provider has completed all the best practice remediation items and that these items have been reviewed by TPN. Finally, the Gold Star Shield will verify that all best practices and additional recommendations have been completed and reviewed by TPN.
According to TPN, key benefits of the next-gen Shield tiers include: increased transparency of remediation progress; faster, more informed decision-making for content owners; scalable recognition of security maturity; incentivised continuous improvement; and better alignment with evolving global threats.
This new system will go into effect with the TPN+ release of the v5.3.1 TPN questionnaires and assessments, in which each Shield tier is displayed in the TPN+ Registry. Although the enlarged system of tiers – Blue, Silver, Gold, and Gold Star – will replace the legacy Blue and Gold Shield designations, all classic TPN Gold Shields will remain valid until their expiration dates.
TPN President Terri Davies said: “The new Shield structure gives content owners clearer visibility into the security readiness and remediation progress of vendors and partners – essential in today’s evolving threat landscape. This update is a pivotal step forward for content security and builds on the value TPN provides for its members.”
On the panel “Raising the Shield: Strengthening Content Security in an Evolving Threat Landscape” at IBC2025 in September, Davies will be joined by the studio security leaders of Paramount Pictures, Netflix, and NBCUniversal to discuss the rollout of TPN's next-gen Shield tiers, the push for continuous remediation and how to build a more resilient supply chain. Discover more here.
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