The worldwide content distribution industry - from traditional cable, telco and satellite TV providers to the growing number of direct-to-consumer (DTC) players - will go through a transformation phase in the coming years. As digital transformation and greater consumer choice take hold, existing offerings have to rush to keep up with new entrants, differentiating themselves to create a compelling offering for the consumer.
Part of that offering has and continues to be the range of content they give to consumers, and that has relied on partnerships with the content owners. However, as the owners, such as HBO and Disney launch their own services, they're increasingly reserving that content for themselves. Disney for example, has pulled its content from Netflix, encouraging consumers to sign up and get access its movies.
But with so many providers, consumers are forced to effectively create their own bundles - often at greater cost than if it was still available through one provider. For some this content stacking will simply be too expensive, and they will look for substitutes - including pirate services. The problem is that, until operators re-aggregate and re-bundle content and services that can be more cost-effective to the consumer, the issue will only get worse as consumers will just pick up their smartphones, search for what they want to watch and find illicit options.
And it's not just lone wolves, sharing with their friends. Commercial pirates pose a two-pronged threat of stealing the content and enticing subscribers away with cheap offerings that mimic legitimate pay-TV services. Usually found as apps on Android devices, or even on set-top boxes and smart TVs available to purchase in store, pirate services can look legitimate to the average user, making this the real competition as they steal the content for free while enticing subscribers away from legitimate services.
The problem doesn't lie with one type of content either, now that we are fully operating in a globally-connected consumer market, where the internet can be easily misused by pirates. But that doesn't mean it all has the same value, live and premium shows will obviously have greater value for consumers and therefore for the pirates too. Even free-to-air is at risk as, when stolen, pirates can remove advertising or time restrictions, all packaged in what appears to be a convenient service for subscribers.
According the 2019 Pay-TV Innovation Forum, industry executives estimate that 17 percent of households worldwide now use illegal TV services on a regular basis, up from 11 percent in 2017. This significant acceleration in pirate services consumption is driven by apps and devices that can give easy access to the so-called grey-market services, which creates a business risk for the whole content creation industry. Ultimately, it hurts the consumer too, as operators and content providers will have less finance to develop new shows.
And, like the open internet, piracy doesn't recognise country borders, meaning containing international distribution rights is also an issue. Saturday afternoon football distributed in the USA are re-streamed back to Europe and around the world - all for free. With live sports one of the most expensive and greatest revenue generators, such activities are a major thorn in operators' sides, and anyone around the world is potentially at risk of having their content stolen. And, with the growth of 5G, executives expect to see this trend continue according to the Global Market for Premium Sports OTT Services report. As content security specialists, we're seeing the growing trend of innovative pirate services stealing content and subscribers, and it's clear that content owners and distributors should be concerned. Not that security technology isn't used, but the new nature of pirate services is calling for a holistic response that goes beyond what has been done in the past.
For the casual pirates, a mix of hardware and software solutions, from encryption technology in chipsets, to an intelligence-based approach comprising of content watermarking, monitoring and taking down infringing services, can prove powerful deterrents.
For the more organised criminal groups stronger actions is required, focusing on a three-pronged, intelligence-based approach that focuses on:
Identifying and shutting down leaks using technologies such as watermarking, which adds an invisible digital signature' to the content that enables us to track any illegal redistribution
Monitoring streaming servers and removing any illegal services with the help of hosting companies
Disrupting pirate services through blocking access to specific servers needed by the pirates
From our experience, we believe that all stakeholders such as content owners, governments, service providers and consumer groups all have a part to play in addressing the piracy problem. Through challenging the pirates from multiple angles such as, investing in consumer education, legislation and anti-piracy technologies alongside creating smart packages of products which address consumer needs, should create a landscape which is increasingly difficult for pirates to operate.
We need to come together. Addressing the piracy challenge has now become an executive level issue for the technology, media and telecoms industries. It is no longer a question of asking should I do something? but am I doing the right thing? and is this being reviewed on a consistent basis that will ensure my business model is being preserved?
As we stated in a recent Newsweek article: All valuable content is at risk. Consumers want to have access to content, and if they cant, they just pick up their phones and search for it. Competing with free is just not sustainable.
Europe Stories
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
25 Nov 2025
VEON's QazCode and MeetKai Sign Agreement to Power National LLM...
25/11/2025
UKTV has acquired a high-profile slate of US dramas from Paramount Global Conten...
25/11/2025
A symphony of genius, rivalry and vengeance, boldly reimagined from Peter Shaffe...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Cinematography World
Read the article
FilmLight has finalised the prestigious 2025 FilmLight Colour Awards jury and welcomed award-winning...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Prensario
Read the article
La serie fue dirigida por Juli n de Tavira, Rodrigo Santos, y David Leche Ruiz, con direcci n de fotograf a a...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter
Read the article
The awards, celebr...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Televisual
Read the article
Already live in Los Angeles and rolling out in New York and London, Nara gives producers, colourists, conform ...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Digital Media World
Read the article
ARTONE post-house in Tokyo is the first facility in Japan to integrate Baselight M, choosing its prec...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter
Read the article
Once hidden in post-production suites, the artists who make movies and TV shows look the way they ...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Deadline
Read the article
The Brutalist' & Bad Bunny's Nuevayol' Music Video Among 2025 FilmLight Colour Award Winners - Cam...
24/11/2025
Robyn made her long-awaited return to the stage this week, as Spotify and Acne Studios brought friends and top fans together for an unforgettable evening at the...
24/11/2025
After more than two years of redevelopment, FC Barcelona returned to its spiritual home on November 22, hosting Athletic Club in the first La Liga match at the ...
24/11/2025
24 Nov 2025
Kyivstar Launches Starlink Direct to Cell Satellite Connectivity in Ukraine Today's Launch Makes Ukraine the First Country in Europe Where Star...
24/11/2025
Ahead of the new ninth series of Dancing with the Stars, kicking off in January 2026, RT and Shinawil have announced the arrival of three new faces to the hit ...
21/11/2025
Fans have been counting down the days until the final theatrical chapter of Wicked is revealed. To celebrate the highly anticipated release of Wicked: For Good ...
21/11/2025
Last week, Spotify turned up the volume in Seoul with the return of Spotify Hous...
21/11/2025
Wiesbaden, November 21, 2025. The SGL Carbon site in Meitingen has reason to celebrate as one of its trainees received a special award. Elias Stemmer was honore...
21/11/2025
Sky Media's £2m award-winning sustainability initiative crowns its first charity as this year's standout changemakerFriday 21 November 2025
GoodGym nam...
21/11/2025
As COP30 draws to a close, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ...
20/11/2025
Your playlists are personal. They're the soundtracks to your road trips, your quiet mornings, and your biggest celebrations; collections of memories and dis...
20/11/2025
Spotify, uzun s redir zerine al t T rk m zik k lt r n n ikon haline gelmi ...
20/11/2025
For the first time, Spotify has teamed up with The Hollywood Reporter to cohost ...
20/11/2025
This year's ARIA Awards marked a turning point for Australian music, and Spotify was right at the heart of it. For the first time in the awards' nearly ...
20/11/2025
15 March 2012
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Cinegy and Vericom are pleased to announce the recent deployment of Cinegy Archive for production and as...
20/11/2025
6 September 2012
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
FIC Turkey supplies media content to Pay TV under Fox TV Channel brands in Turkey.
At the start of s...
20/11/2025
25 June 2014
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Last month VIVA finalized its Cinegy installation in order to produce and broadcast the World Cup Brazil ...
20/11/2025
1 October 2014
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
With 5 locations spread out around Baden-W rttemberg, Schw bisch Media required a scalable end to end s...
20/11/2025
27 April 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Cinegy, which develops and produces media asset management products that are used in flagship production...
20/11/2025
12 August 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 26 October 2015 - Cinegy, which develops and produces software technology for digital ...
20/11/2025
5 November 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany 3 November 2015 - Cinegy, which develops and produces software technology for digital ...
20/11/2025
12 February 2016
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany 9 February 2016 - Cinegy, which develops and produces software technology for digital...
20/11/2025
22 June 2016
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany 21 June 2016 - Cinegy today announced that ABS BROADCAST, one of the largest independentl...
20/11/2025
10 January 2017
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Find us on page 12 of the Program Guide 2016
Tags
NewBay Media Awards , Program Guide 2016 , broadc...
20/11/2025
15 March 2017
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany 15 March 2017 - Cinegy today announced that Thailand's Next Step direct-to-home Free...
20/11/2025
12 December 2017
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany 13 December 2017 - Cinegy today announced that it is making its Cinegy Air Cloud Pack...
20/11/2025
25 June 2018
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich 25th June 2018 - Cinegy today announced that Canada-based Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) has implemen...
20/11/2025
27 May 2019
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
The best quality live video from the worst networks - Haivision
Although DVB and the World Wide Web are...
20/11/2025
24 November 2020
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
ATV Expand and Increase their Playout and Editing Capabilities using Cinegy Software
Munich, Germany...
20/11/2025
1 September 2021
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st September 2021:
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for di...
20/11/2025
20 September 2021
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
ElectronicVerve continues a strong history of supporting Cinegy customers in India
Munich, Germany,...
The worldwide content distribution industry - from traditional cable, telco and satellite TV providers to the growing number of direct-to-consumer (DTC) players - will go through a transformation phase in the coming years. As digital transformation and greater consumer choice take hold, existing offerings have to rush to keep up with new entrants, differentiating themselves to create a compelling offering for the consumer.
