Content protection in live sports streaming has always been one of the major challenges for OTT providers. While digital piracy broadens its horizons by opening up new ways of sports content theft, video streaming services are left behind with significant revenue and reputation losses. According to the research, over 80% of global online piracy comes from illegal streaming services which means that OTT providers play a pivotal role in financing digital criminals by leaving security holes uncovered.
Multi DRM For Live Sports Streaming as a Security Strategy
Digital Rights Management (DRM) system is an integral part of a complex video airing process that ensures content protection against unauthorized use. The strategy enables content providers to secure live streaming by preventing its screen recording or downloading as well as by setting a license due date which makes a stream unavailable for watching and thus copying. DRM-protected video streaming constantly changes the key configuration of the content to prevent it from being easily stolen. Apart from that, the technology enables providers to limit the regions of sports live video airing and cut the number of potential hacker attacks.
Multi-DRM for live sports streaming solution provides broadcasters with a high-quality shield, covering fragmentation challenges coming from the diversity of devices and platforms playing the stream at once. Such systems meet low-latency airing requirements crucial for live OTT sports telecasting. However, the incorrect implementation of multi-DRM-protected video streaming into the general video processing system might significantly affect its productivity, increase broadcasting latency and cause challenges. That’s why choosing the right custom DRM solution vendor is a prerequisite to proper multi-DRM system integration, excellent performance and increased subscriber loyalty.
Secure Live Streaming Tools
Among the variety of content protection mechanisms, DRM is fundamental. However, to ensure comprehensive sports stream security, it’s better to rely on a set of content protection instruments.
- Token-based authentication
The basic way to deter pirates from copying video content is by introducing a platform subscription. Apart from keeping unauthorized users away, the system generates specific time-limited URLs that can’t be shared with non-subscribers. - Streaming Encryption
Video streams like any other type of content can be coded, or encrypted, to ensure their safe travels across servers and devices. Encoded data poses a challenge to web criminals trying to intercept live broadcasts. - Watermarking
Marking streamed video content might not eliminate unauthorized use of recordings by pirate websites but it certainly plays a role in their tracing. Forensic watermarking allows content providers to see the channels through which live streams pop up on illegal platforms and take measures to shut them down. - Geoblocking
Though content theft is a global problem, there are regions that are particularly active in stealing high-quality video broadcasts from licensed platforms. To cut the number of criminals trying to get a stream copy, geoblocking simply blacklists countries where video content won’t be aired. - IP Blacklisting
Putting devices and servers on a blacklist provides a point solution to the issue of content theft. It makes sense if the streaming platform owners have detected where their content leaks and aim to cut illegal activity. - Content Delivery Networks
Broadcasting live video content using a single server point becomes vulnerable if cybercriminals take collective action to blow a hole in the security shield. Streaming from a set of separated hotspots ensures the failure of such a tactic.
Getting Ready for Live OTT Sports Streaming
Delivering top-class quality OTT live video streaming services is a challenge. The stakes are especially high when we speak of people rooting for their favorite sports club in front of the screens on the edge of emotions.
- Work Towards Low Latency
20-30 second delays are unforgivable for users watching live sports. OTT services have established themselves as polished high-quality content providers, so high latency might become the reason for significant subscriber churn. - Prepare for High Load
Sports events draw public attention like no other video content. The strict number of people who are likely to tune in to watch a game is unpredictable but it doesn’t mean an OTT vendor shouldn’t get ready for immense user activity at any moment of a live broadcast. Blackouts and buffering are unacceptable. - Keep in Mind Device Fragmentation
OTT services have tackled the issue of multi-device video access. However, with live streaming the need for exclusive content protection surges, affecting the performance of a broadcast if it’s played on various platforms. Without a multi-DRM approach, the device fragmentation problem with content protection will inevitably persist. - Go for a Reliable DRM Vendor
The success of secure live streaming relies not on the mechanism of video content protection itself but mostly on a combination of mechanisms and their competent implementation. The multi-DRM solution implemented competently by an expert vendor is crucial for ensuring content security without losing streaming quality.
How we can help
Leverage our sports live streaming expertise in diverse format management, multi-DRM integration support, and seamless OVP integration.
Opting for the Right DRM Implementation Vendor
When it comes to implementing DRM-protected video streaming, a solid vendor backup is essential. Here’s what to pay attention to choosing a DRM partner.
- Go for a service that integrates major DRMs such as Widevine, PlayReady, and FairPlay to ensure the support of the bigger part of user devices.
- Make sure the DRM vendor is ready to implement multi-DRM solutions.
- Consider a service that is keen on building customizations to theDRM system or your video delivery pipeline in case your workflow requires specific adjustments.
The Bottom Line
The recent forced turn to experiencing sports events away from game venues rocketed the incomes of OTT platforms that have leveraged high-quality live sports streaming. But it also increased digital criminal activity, surging the need to protect unique live streaming content from being copied. Among the variety of mechanisms, multi-DRM for sports is arguably one of the must-haves for securing video content providers from revenue losses and subscriber outflow. All is needed is a solid DRM solution and an expert in the DRM field to ensure top-notch performance for your service.
