In our first blog of 2023, Tim Pearson looks back at an eventful week in Las Vegas at CES where, for the first time, NAGRA was on the show floor and featured an array of audience-relevant consumer-focused solutions from across the Kudelski Group.
There can’t be many hotels in the world where you can look out of the window and see the Eiffel Tower, St Mark’s Campanile and the Roman Coliseum – all at the same time. Add to that an erupting volcano and dancing fountains and you can only be in Las Vegas. The annual CES show was back with a bang!
After two years of pandemic impact, CES 2023 attracted more than 115,000 attendees, 40,000 of which traveled internationally from more than 140 countries. Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA, stated of the event, “CES 2023 was the great reconnection and rocked every measure – from attendance to the keynote stage to press conferences and product debuts on the exhibit floor – showing the entire world that in-person events are BACK!”
This year we were amongst the buzz of the show floor and featured several Kudelski Group innovations relevant to the CES audience. Located in the Smart Home area of the Venetian Expo, we were surrounded by an array of ‘smart’ devices – from toasters to massage chairs, doorbells, lighting, lawn mowers and even cat litter trays; it was all there! And, with this panoply of devices all looking for house room, our team were on hand to discuss why security matters.
Hence our theme, Security Matters: Protecting Your Digital Future, which played well to the overall CES focus on security this year. For NAGRA and the wider Kudelski Group, our show offering was built around three key pillars that aimed to show visitors how our teams are securing the future today.
Connected Lifestyle Security
A key area of our showcase featured connected lifestyle security and its relationship with home automation. Ahead of the show we announced a new innovative solution being created by Canal+ Telecom with partners Otodo and Sagemcom. Via the Ma Maison app, Canal+ Telecom subscribers will be able to create home automation routines such as ‘I’m coming home’, ‘I’m on holiday’ or ‘Start my day’ safe in the knowledge that all the IoT devices involved in the routine are protected from cyber threats courtesy of NAGRA Scout. Working as ‘quiet security’ in the background, NAGRA Scout ensures devices are working optimally, are updated to the latest software version, and are secured against the latest threats. This unique solution combines connected lifestyle security and home automation to directly address consumer concerns around the security of hyper-connected lifestyles – while fully unleashing the opportunities created by home automation.
Securing IoT Consumer Electronics – From Design to Distribution
My Kudelski IoT colleagues were actively engaged with semiconductor and consumer electronics manufacturers at the show. By getting involved at the outset and helping the manufacturers consider a range of security aspects as part of their solution design ensures that the final device is not only secure but is also able to conform to the requirements of new connectivity protocols such as Matter. Using solutions such as Kudelski Secure IP and keySTREAM to provide a baseline security layer ensures consumers are protected from cyber threats across the whole security lifecycle of connected products
The Future of Video Gaming
Video gaming growth has resulted in improved gameplay across a raft of different segments and domains. However, it has always followed the same script – start a level or experience and complement it with some in-app purchases to enhance the gameplay. With web3 however, a different experience awaits the gamer. With high value assets secured via a blockchain and experiences that extend into the metaverse, the need for increased security is very apparent. Assets aren’t just purchased but can also be sold thanks to the accountability that comes with combined digital and wallet identities which drive increasing market confidence in the security offered. At the show, working with our partner Star Atlas, the Kudelski Security team discussed with visitors how we are working to secure the Star Atlas gaming platform from cyber attacks. In addition, we are working together to jointly define the best security approaches for Web 3.0 gaming that enables safe onboarding and digital safety in the metaverse.
Variety Entertainment Summit Panel featuring André Kudelski
To complement our showcase, our chairman and CEO André Kudelski was part of a panel at the Variety Entertainment Summit discussing ‘New Frontiers in the Media & Entertainment Industry’ with leaders from Verizon, Disney, Bloomberg Media and Hello Sunshine. The panel explored how companies and new entertainment platforms will continue to grow their businesses in an ultra-competitive landscape and compete for audience attention. Acknowledging the choppy waters ahead, the role of partnerships for content owners and distributors has never been so important as consumer habits continue to evolve and become more dynamic. To complement this, André Kudelski discussed approaches such as the NAGRA Smart Pricing solution which, based on a digital twin model proposes personalized pricing for consumers based on both viewing history and previous reactions to changes in subscriptions and other pricing events. As consumers have broader access to content across multiple sources, the need for pricing that directly addresses both the churn and credential sharing risks often seen in today’s market is key. Converting non-payers to payers and making sure great content has a sustainable economic model is key and formed much of the panel’s discussion. In addition, the role of partnerships in content distribution was also discussed and insights provided that suggested that the financing of original content is likely to be borne by partnerships who each bring value to the content’s go-to-market approach.
2023 – A Year when Security Matters
As we now reflect on CES and continue the inspiring conversations, we look forward to another year of innovation designed to complement consumer’s hyper-connected lifestyles and one where security matters. To hear more about this year’s showcase, discuss how we can help you offer additional value-added solutions around topics such as connected lifestyle security with NAGRA Scout or help you navigate the new Web 3.0 landscape, get in touch; we’d love to continue the conversation! As for Las Vegas, we look forward to returning in April for NAB!
