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We look at the pervasive issues in the protection of live content, the advent of DRM and future of the time-proven CAS IS THERE A FUTURE FOR CAS?
onditional access systems (CAS) technology was the preferred way to protect broadcast and on-demand video throughout the
seamless live experience over multiscreen as well. Jauch explains: “Some of the most common challenges when it comes to the protection of linear streams are managing the fragmentation of the viewing platforms, managing mixed business model streams – free and paid – and, foremost, scalability when it comes to streams that are watched by millions of viewers. “Another common issue with live content protection is the economy of scaling the viewership. CAS comes attached with fixed costs no matter the number of viewers, whereas DRM technologies allow cost-effective scaling, from one viewer to millions. In fact, with growing competition and development in the industry, the cost of securing content with DRM is going down steadily, making it a preferred choice for providers with a fluctuating viewership.” EVOLUTION OF DRM DRM used to be reserved for subscription video on demand (SVOD) or transactional video on demand (TVOD) for a long time, but the technology has come a long way since then. As the media and IT industry progressed, the need for a robust mechanism to protect digital content and assets brought along some critical changes in the architecture of DRM, which made the technology viable not only for SVOD, but also OTT, live and IPTV content. Several features have made DRM a preferred choice to protect live and VOD content on multiscreen platforms. These include the availability of persistent or non- persistent licences, which enable providers to control offline playback, and key rotation allows usage of multiple business models and association of different programmes in a stream with different keys. Embedded licences have made this process even more cost effective by removing the need
media industry for decades. That is, until digital rights management (DRM) came to town, bringing with it breakthrough innovations in content protection. Now, however, with security paramount as the over-the-top and pay-TV markets boom, concern is growing as users no longer want to be tied down to smart cards and set-top boxes (STBs), instead demanding the choice of any screen on any device in any location they desire. This has forced broadcasters and technology providers to invest in building dynamic mechanisms for the security and protection of premium content, in turn pushing forward the evolution of DRM. With DRM technologies like Widevine, PlayReady and FairPlay now allowing for hardware control, encryption, tokenisation and key rotation, it seems like the sun could be setting over CAS. The video industry is transitioning towards IP, irreversibly. The shift is evident through the number of operators introducing IPTV and OTT services. Even smaller broadcasters are following suit and moving towards the next generation of broadcast technologies that rely on the internet and data. CAS, designed for traditional broadcast with DVB-H/C STBs, is now limited by the features and functionality needed to cope with the growing demands of viewers. Meanwhile, DRM technologies by Google, Microsoft and Apple have already matured enough and are widely used by operators for VOD as well as live. “This issue is important for anyone involved in delivering TV content to large audiences,” says Johannes Jauch, CTO at Axinom. “You have to care about the issue
of piracy to satisfy content partners, to fulfil their requirements and distribute premium live content.” PROTECTING LIVE CONTENT Streaming of valuable live content is intrinsically tied to content security. Studios, broadcasters and event organisers want content protected with the best security measures available. Live OTT workflows differ vastly from those in the world of video on demand, from the initial step of video ingestion to final delivery of the stream. Besides the workflow, live OTT requires a different set of features, such as catch-up or a personal video recorder (PVR) from the user side, and blackouts, programme substitution and ad insertion from the business side. Many of these features have been available in linear TV for some time, but the expectation of the users for streaming services, paired with low switching costs, means that brands must keep delivering a
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