a significant challenge for rights holders. The proliferation of devices such as modified fire sticks has also facilitated illegal streaming. Modified fire sticks allow users to bypass encryption and access copyrighted content,” he advises.
“ The transition to OTT and app-based media consumption has reduced access barriers for legal viewers and pirates alike while simultaneously increasing piracy sophistication and complicating enforcement efforts,” agrees Mark Mulready, VP of cyber services at Irdeto.“ Operators face significant difficulties with account takeovers and credential sharing that both decrease subscription revenue and complicate enforcement processes. Unauthorised restreaming of live sports represents a significant threat because pirates use social media platforms and illegal IPTV services to deliver content as it happens. Content protection efforts face increased complexity when DRM management extends across different devices and operating systems. In addition to piracy, streaming service providers face escalating cybersecurity threats from ransomware attacks and data breaches which makes the protection landscape more complex.” PERCEPTIONS.“ Challenges to rights holders in the modern environment come in multiple forms,” suggests Nik Forman, VP of marketing, Friend MTS.“ Some of these include technical distribution challenges: the prevention of piracy involves efficient deployment of distribution level protection, such as DRM; once content has been misappropriated, there are challenges associated with finding and disrupting piracy. And finally, there’ s a wider challenge around what causes people to consume pirated content, and educating them about its knock-on effects. These are of course wider societal issues, and include conversations around subscription fatigue, cost of consumption, and perceptions of piracy as‘ normal’ and‘ victimless’.”
“ Technical challenges increase with the proliferation of platforms; multiple platforms means increased piracy attack vectors. More delivery mechanisms means greater opportunity for pirates, who are always looking for the weakest link in the chain; if DRM isn’ t properly implemented, for example, pirates can spoof legitimate user credentials and access content to share with their own audiences( with the cost of this distribution being absorbed the legitimate provider),” he advises.
For Paul O’ Donovan, head of market development, MediaKind, the fundamental challenge for rights-holders is that the concept of‘ exclusive’ media rights is being eroded by piracy and the shift to streaming, particularly for premium content such as live sports, has accelerated the threats they face.“ Unlike traditional broadcast models, where signal theft requires physical intervention, digital piracy is more sophisticated, exploiting weaknesses in DRM systems, open-source decryption tools, and simple URL sharing. The sheer variety of devices adds another layer of complexity— some DRM technologies are more vulnerable than others, and pirates are quick to target the weakest links. This means rights-holders must think beyond encryption alone, deploying a multilayered security approach that encompasses entitlement checks, real-time monitoring, and adaptive authentication techniques,” he recommends. INSIGHT. Tim Pearson, VP, global product marketing and strategic alliances, NAGRA, agrees that while streaming has made highquality content more accessible to consumers, it has also made piracy easier for illicit players looking to monetise valuable stolen content.“ Broadcast and video streaming providers lose billions each year to piracy. With the right streaming protection strategy in place, routes open to pirates are closed and valuable insight is gained about the level of piracy on distribution networks. Rights holders investing in content protection and streaming security secure their valuable investments and drive business value,” he states.
“ Right holders can struggle to implement a comprehensive security strategy at scale across the entire media and entertainment ecosystem. Content is distributed across platforms, devices and networks at speeds that make many protection methods less effective. The challenge goes beyond distribution channels, with risks of content leaks during production and post-production as high as for content distribution. At the same time, illegal redistribution, credential sharing and AI-generated deepfakes add to the problem. Rights-holders must consider how to protect content from illicit threats and how to prevent AI-driven alterations that could damage a brand or mislead audiences – particularly during the critical production and postproduction stages of the content lifecycle,” he advises.
“ Content piracy is ubiquitous and growing,” admits Alain Durand, senior director at Synamedia.“ Pirates not only steal and sell live and premium VoD content but they also steal services providers’ resources by forcing them to shoulder the distribution costs of pirated content. In a fragmented OTT world, some stakeholders question the value of investing in counterpiracy technologies and services. However, under-investment has always
“ Piracy methods are becoming more advanced, illegal streamers use VPNs, mirror sites and encrypted messaging apps to evade detection.”- Javier de Posada,
Agile Content
resulted in even more piracy, depreciating the value of premium content and dropping associated revenues. The main challenge is finding the right level of investment and forcing other stakeholders to reach that level,” he concludes. TECHNIQUES. As to which techniques are proving the most effective at identifying and halting illegal consumption, AAPA’ s Herovanu lists a combination of:
• Content Recognition Technologies: Tools such as fingerprinting and watermarking help identify unauthorised use.
• Monitoring Services: Companies utilise automated systems to monitor online platforms for pirated content.
• Legal Action: In some cases, rightsholders have successfully pursued legal action against infringers.
• User Reporting Mechanisms: Encouraging users to report piracy can help identify illegal content
• Website Blocking: No single solution or‘ silver bullet’ exists to stop online copyright piracy, but site blocking has proven to be an effective tool. To sustain its effectiveness, site blocking must continuously evolve to address new kinds of online copyright piracy, such as live events and stream-ripping. In addition, the legal framework for site blocking should allow flexibility to implement dynamic and pirate brand injunctions, as well as live injunctions to address the pirating of live broadcasts and stream ripping.“ Given the scale of the matter, the lack of takedown and stay down mechanisms, reluctance from intermediaries to engage in this fight, pirate’ s technical skills, the lack of effective legislation and reluctance from policy makers, what we have is not enough,” she admits.
LAYERS.“ Defence in depth has proven to be the best approach in most scenarios, including the streaming industry,” suggests Agile’ s de Posada.“ Digital Rights Management( DRM) remains a fundamental layer of protection, restricting how content is used and shared. Watermarking technology allows companies to track where leaked content originates,
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