As the world was limbering up for the World Cup, my colleague Pascal Metral, a proud Swiss supporter and NAGRA's VP of Anti-Piracy Services, was heading to the Global Media Congress in Dubai. As a guest of Abu Dhabi Media, he was there to share some thoughts about anti-piracy in the MENA region, its causes, and likely implications.
Piracy is popular, prevalent, and unfortunately, highly profitable. To break that down, Statistica in Q3,2021 estimated that in the U.S. alone, there had been over 5 billion visits to piracy sites offering film content. That's just film content and doesn't include gaming, music or any other content. To compound the situation, in the U.S., 9 million households subscribed to a pirate IPTV service in the same period. It's therefore not surprising that annual pirate subscription revenues for IPTV in the U.S. topped $1b. Given this as a backdrop, there's perhaps little wonder that NAGRA customers in the MENA region are starting to get concerned about the impact of piracy on their businesses.
But, why now?
Piracy in the MENA region is growing, fast. Regional streaming services including ADTV, StarzPlay and SwitchTV need content, and this has driven demand for original Arabic content which in turn has increased the amount of content produced in the region. The appetite for local content is matched by challenges seen elsewhere too. These are a fragmented content offering - and in particular sports which are distributed by major players such as Abu Dhabi Media, Etisalat and beIN Sports - overwhelming customer choice and an increased demand for safeguards. The sum of all these parts makes for a larger attack area for pirates who in turn create new consumer offers where full catalogues of content can be accessed in one place for an unbelievably low price.
As a result of these prevailing market conditions, key regional players such as Abu Dhabi Media put a lot of time, energy and focus into the fight against piracy. As a guest on Abu Dhabi Media's stand at the Global Media Congress, Pascal Metral sought to explain how the local market was reacting to these new trends and how key partners such as NAGRA were tackling the problem.
NAGRA has worked with major rights owners across the MENA region for several years to limit the impact of piracy. With the World Cup being held in Doha, the team were also busy helping to shut down a number of anti-piracy operations ahead of the first ball being kicked. Effective anti-piracy strategies typically involve a combination of pro-active and re-active approaches.
Pro-Active Approaches to Piracy
For customers who have already launched streaming propositions, and particularly those with premium sport content, the challenges get magnified as richer pickings are spotted by pirates. Themes such as CDN content theft, credential sharing and app protection all require consideration as does protecting content from the outset with forensic watermarking (so the source of leaks can be detected later).
The NAGRA Active Streaming Protection framework is designed to address threats posed by streaming piracy. Featuring several different options and technologies, it aims, through a central security monitoring and analytics dashboard, to provide a clear, end-to-end view of the challenges facing the network. For today's streaming providers, multi-DRM isn't enough, and the distributed nature of OTT delivery means there are several aspects that need to be holistically considered to gain a true picture of the streaming piracy threat. The NAGRA approach seeks to secure video content and services in multiple dimensions, manage risks with a complete and flexible solution and, perhaps most important of all, simplify the integration so solutions can start working as quickly as possible.
Re-Active Approaches to Piracy
In the event of a leak being detected or piracy evidenced, deploying relevant countermeasures as quickly as possible is key. In live sports, time is of the essence and NAGRA solutions are optimized so shutdowns can be implemented in minutes to disrupt pirate operations and demonstrate to consumers that watching content illegally can mean you pay your money and then lose access without recourse.
For wider anti-piracy operations, a more strategic focus is required. This involves gathering evidence of content piracy, identifying the main players and then launching investigations that result in either criminal or civil enforcement proceedings.
NAGRA Anti-Piracy solutions support in-house anti-piracy teams and dynamically create a comprehensive overview of active piracy. Firstly, the NAGRA Threat Intelligence service shows which pirate services are actively distributing an operator's content. Next, using the Ecosystem Explorer investigators enter the name of the pirate service and then plot other key datapoints which ultimately reveal who is behind the piracy ring. The final step is then to open an investigation that collects evidence to submit during legal proceedings. For organizations without anti-piracy teams, NAGRA can provide a full intelligence and investigation service and has also provided evidence to industry alliances such as Alianza in Brazil for major takedowns such as Operation 404.
To learn more about our anti-piracy solutions, see a demo or just continue the conversation, get in touch with our MENA Sales Director, Chrys Poulain and hear how NAGRA can help your organization tackle content piracy.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
As the world was limbering up for the World Cup, my colleague Pascal Metral, a proud Swiss supporter and NAGRA's VP of Anti-Piracy Services, was heading to the Global Media Congress in Dubai. As a guest of Abu Dhabi Media, he was there to share some thoughts about anti-piracy in the MENA region, its causes, and likely implications.
