Whether you’re a D2C operator or a traditional Pay TV provider looking to launch your own OTT service, there is one very important question you need to be asking – how can I ensure my content is protected in today’s hyper-connected world?
A good place to start is with digital rights management (DRM) but as you’re going to need to support multiple device types and managing all this in one place through a multi-DRM service makes clear business sense. This means that any of the devices you’re supplying content to simply request a licence to enable the viewing of the content.
As OTT and D2C services grow in popularity, service providers are moving away from the traditional point-to-point operator and set-top box relationship and into a landscape with a seemingly endless list of devices that are all looking to consume content irrespective of location or network type. Multi-DRM is a good first step in securing the content from the range of threats that present themselves during IP delivery and it should be considered a key step in planning a content and service security strategy that may then incorporate other technologies such as watermarking or anti-piracy downstream.
We’ve captured how our multi-DRM service works in the diagram below to show the key information being exchanged between the NAGRA Multi-DRM Platform, your content packager/ distribution and the consumer devices eager to consume your content.
How to get started with multi-DRM is a question we’re often asked at NAGRA by those companies looking to offer their content direct to consumers – perhaps as part of a new marketing initiative or those looking to move into IP distribution for the first time. The first question to answer is what devices do you want to secure? If you want to include Apple devices in your offering, you’re going to need to support FairPlay DRM, if Microsoft’s devices are big with your audience, you’re going to need PlayReady and for those in the Android ecosystem, Google’s Widevine addresses your requirement.
Next, you’re going to want to test out a multi-DRM service. NAGRA has made this process as simple as possible by providing a simple content wizard that allows you to hook up your packager and other elements to show that your content is being secured. We also recognise that sometimes, technical hook-ups don’t go to plan so we’ve also included a handy error tracker so you can work out what needs fixing – and if that doesn’t work, there’s a whole library of reference documentation for you to refer to as well as access to our customer success managers who are just a click away to ensure all your testing is successful. For those advanced users, we’ve included some advanced parameters too so you can experiment further and if you would like to embed a player in a test application, our player software development kits are available within your trial area too.
To access NAGRA’s multi-DRM evaluation service, just click here, set-up an account and you’re ready to start. Our evaluation trial period is 30 days so you’ve plenty of time to do all the testing you need and then at the end of the trial, our customer success managers can help you move all the necessary configuration across to a live service from where you can then start to plan out your content and service protection strategy.
