Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) September 2016 • Volume 33, Issue 8 | Page 10

10 NEWS & VIEWS What’s New on TV Blocking leaks of live content in real time The Olympic Games in Brazil last month made it an especially riveting summer for sports fans all around the world, but they have perhaps made it just as an intriguing time for those across the pay-TV landscape. The Olympics, and essentially all livestreamed sporting events, present highly attractive targets for pirates, and this has driven content rights owners and distributors of live sports to increase their demand for additional layers of security. The need is even more crucial for sports broadcasted in 4K/Ultra HD (UHD) because the content is more valuable, and the scope for restreaming is increased with greater potential for camcording at high quality. Because the value of live sports is bound up in the moment and decays very rapidly as the event takes place, the only recourse is to stop an illicit stream at its source, almost as quickly as it was retransmitted over the Inter­ net. Fortunately, there is a proven way to trace pirated content to the last authorised user, and that is through forensic watermarking. It has become very clear that forensic watermarking will play a pivotal role in the ongoing protection of live sports, as well as premium movies and TV shows, in HD and 4K/UHD formats. However, it is just one key step in the race against piracy, and alone, it cannot guarantee a full-proof approach. Watermarking is one of the three logical components suggested by MovieLabs’ Specifications for Next Generation Video and Enhanced Content Protection. Essentially, these guidelines translate into three pillars — watermarking, as well as hardware-based security and trusted software — which reinforce each other in order to provide an impenetrable security platform. If any of the three pillars are compromised individually, the other two will still operate and protect against content theft or illicit redistribution, while the issue is resolved. Watermarking rel ies on the other two pillars to securely insert unique September 2016 n Love Petr Peterka CTO Verimatrix Forensic watermarking will play a pivotal role in the ongoing protection of live sports, as well as premium movies and TV shows, in HD and 4K/UHD formats. and visually imperceptible identifiers into payloads to make it difficult for potential hackers to attempt to undo the watermark. Even if a pirate is successfully able to bypass both hardwarebased security and trusted software security, watermarking is still present and able to pinpoint the illegitimate source quickly. The need for watermarking to be firmly embedded within a secure system to enable effective real-time actions has led established revenue security specialists to take new measures to ensure end-to-end protection for all 4K/UHD content, both live and on-demand. Verimatrix now offers a comprehensive spectrum of forensic anti-piracy capabilities within its Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS) Ultra architecture. The latest VideoMark live profile is specifically designed to protect valuable linear content against real-time re-broadcasting threats and subscription fraud, and offers a more secure and technologically superior approach to existing watermarking methods for live broadcasts. Crucially, the Video­ Mark portfolio is now complete and enables comprehensive traceability not only for 4K/UHD live sports, but just about all conceivable content types and threat models. Visit Verimatrix at IBC booth 5.A59 to learn more about 4K/UHD requirements and the latest in forensic watermarking innovation. q is in the air on CTE SINGAPORE – Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE) is looking to touch viewers’ hearts this month with a line-up of romantic Asian flicks. In The Secret, Hong Kong singer/actress Leon Lai stars as a grief-strikened man who loses his wife in an avalanche during an anniversary trip. Unable to move past his grief, his wife, played by Chinese actress Wang Luodan, returns as a ghost to live with him. For a more light-hearted touch, All You Need is Love is set on the scenic Penghu Islands in Taiwan, where a wealthy girl (Shu Qi) runs into a local hostel owner (Richie Jen), whose business is in danger of folding. Also, be prepared to be overwhelmed with emotions, as Guia in Love presents a series of intertwining love stories set in picturesque Macau. With an elite cast including Stephy Tang, Wilson Lam, Wilfred Lau, Fiona Sit and Vivian Chan, the romantic drama provides a gentle insight into the challenges of modern-day relationships. n Catch Taiwanse actress Shu Qi stars alongside singer/ actor Richie Yen in the romantic-comedy All You Need is Love. MTV on TV5 every weekend MTV’s Ridiculousness is hosted by Rob Dyrdek on TV5 every weekend. MANILA – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia has launched a new weekend MTV-branded block in the Philippines with free-to-air (FTA) broadcaster TV5 Network. Mark Whitehead, EVP and managing director of VIMN Asia-Pacific, said: “The move to introduce an MTV-branded block with TV5 allows us to get an expanded reach, especially with some of our more popular MTV international long-form content.” More than 18.4 million Philippine homes are now able to enjoy a weekend of up to twoand-a-half hours of MTV international content including: Catfish: The TV Show, Ex on the Beach and Ridiculousness. Vincent “Coach Chot” Reyes, president of Media5, exclusive sales and marketing arm of TV5, added: “We are delighted to introduce an MTV-branded block on TV5. We’ve seen the continued popularity of the brand and believe the branded block will provide added value for the programming line-up targeted at our young viewers.” n The Powerpuff Girls earns nod for second season HONG KONG – Cartoon Network has announced the renewal of The Powerpuff Girls after a successful premiere in April this year, which saw more than 81 million fans experiencing the series across multiple platforms. The Powerpuff Girls also picked up its first Emmy nomination this year for “Outstanding Short Form Animated Programme”. Rob Sorcher, chief content officer for Cartoon Network, said: “The Power­puff Girls is on a momentous run with its first Emmy nod, a debut appearance at San Diego Comic-Con this year, and now a second season green-light.” The superpower sisters join Cartoon Network’s returning fan favourites, which include Adventure Time, Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball, Clarence, Regular Following its first Emmy nomination this year, The Powerpuff Girls also gets the green-light for a second season. Show and the recently announced Ben 10. The Powerpuff Girls is produced by Cartoon Network Studios, with Nick Jennings (Adventure Time, SpongeBob Squarepants) serving as executive producer and Bob Boyle (Clarence, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!) as coexecutive producer. The voice cast includes: Amada Leighton as Blossom, Kristen Li as Bubbles, and Natalie Palamides as Buttercup.