25 TECHFEED Content Protection
Paul Hastings of watermarking tech specialist, Friend MTS, also reports some content owners writing into contracts a stipulation that broadcasters or service providers must be able to provide subscriber level watermarking for set-top boxes and OTT. Of course, particular focus on watermarking should not mean neglect of other security methods. “Operators ask if they still need to expend so much effort on secure chipsets,” says Cossack. “Well, yes, you do: if there is a weakness there, the pirates will go for it.”
Consumer education is required, too. Illegal streaming services are increasingly sophisticated, with slick websites and advertising, secure payment facilities and money-back guarantees to trick consumers into subscribing to an illegal service. Three-quarters of pirate streamer sites openly advertise payment methods including Visa, MasterCard and PayPal, according to a survey by Irdeto. It suggests more could be done by these brands. “If media organisations threaten to vote with their feet against payment platforms that enable piracy, it’ll be fascinating to see who blinks first,” suggests Mark Mulready an Irdeto cybersecurity expert. Cryptocurrencies, incidentally, only accounted for around 4% of payment method mentions on the sites it analysed. Of course, there are many people who knowingly head to an illegal streamer, the equivalent of getting the dodgy DVD with the xeroxed cover from a bloke down the pub. Some visit pirate sites in frustration with attempting to pay for and access a pay-per-view event, as happened en masse just ahead of the Mayweather vs McGregor boxing clash.
THE DEFINING MOMENT FOR
WATERMARKING HAS UNDOUBTEDLY COME WITH THE RAPID GROWTH OF 4K UHD CONTENT
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