Major Pay TV Operator reduces piracy by 20%

A significant player in the Pay TV/Telco space was the victim of content fraud, with live sports being highly targeted. 

• Exclusive sports events were being pirated
• A wide range of content to protect, including Hollywood movies and premium scripted content
• Industry standards for content security to be met 

In addition to broadcasting live sports, the client has a compelling roster of content including dramas, comedies, and documentaries. They also hold the rights to showcase a wide range of Hollywood films. 

A main objective was to ensure they adhered to the security protocols detailed in their contract with the sports' governing bodies. The other prerogative was to protect their own content and revenue.

As a major player in the entertainment space, the customer constantly seeks to improve the overall protection of their content, ensuring that post-distribution is as well-protected as their Digital Rights Management (DRM) and conditional access-protected distribution paths. 

The customer's requirements were diverse, from protecting over-the-top (OTT) content to securing Set-Top-Boxes (STBs) including legacy devices, whilst also needing to reduce subscriber churn and attempting to convert subscribers to pirate services into legitimate customers.

As well as a proactive content protection solution, the client wished to receive rich analytical data to help inform important business decisions. Their objective is to understand the principal vectors of piracy in order to try to prevent as much of it as possible.

• Global content monitoring and enforcement
• Dynamic Delivery Server Blocking
• ASiD watermarking for OTT and STB
• Data analysis, reporting, and enrichment 

After an initial period of consultation with the customer, FMTS delivered a comprehensive set of content protection services and solutions. 

This included ASiD watermarking for OTT and STB, for live content, linear channels and video-on-demand (VOD). This approach enabled the client to pinpoint the source of content theft, shut the associated accounts, and crucially to analyse trends in illegal consumption of their content as a whole. 

Furthermore, monitoring, enforcement and Dynamic Delivery Server blocking services were added to the list of deployments. Pioneered by FMTS in 2017, Dynamic Delivery Server Blocking is a network-level enforcement mechanism based on a legal order for local jurisdiction. It focuses on video delivery servers and access to pirated videos can be restricted within seconds. The customer would go on to work with FMTS to secure the legal injunctions against the delivery servers identified, so that access was blocked by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in their location. 

• Up to 20% decrease in piracy following legal enforcement
• Business intelligence to inform new market and programming decisions
• Subscriber increase following piracy decrease  

FMTS supplied key reporting on data analysis and forensics enabling the client to provide a body of evidence to legal officials for consequent prosecutions against the perpetrators. Legal and legislative assistance to set up Dynamic Delivery Server Blocking in their country.

Dynamic Delivery Server Blocking allowed the customer to shut off access to pirated content through the injunctions issued to ISPs, meaning that 99% of the UK and the Republic of Ireland would be unable to reach the stolen content shown on the sites that had been positively identified by FMTS as fraudulent.

Although Dynamic Delivery Server Blocking is in place, stringent over-blocking measures check that no content is blocked by ISPs accidentally, ensuring that legitimate streams of content are still accessible to viewers. 

Collaborating with FMTS has enabled this customer to reduce piracy by up to 20%. Consequently, they are now well-positioned to grow their base of legitimate customers. The agility of the FMTS business has enabled ongoing collaboration for the enhancement of the offered solution. Together, we develop new solutions that consistently combat emerging pirate tactics.

The customer has recently extended their partnership with FMTS, committing to a long-term, multi-year deal. This renewal underscores their high satisfaction with the services provided.