Case Study: a leading international sports broadcaster fights piracy and protects live sports rights with Irdeto Piracy Control

Leading International Sports Broadcaster - Customer Case Study

A leading international sports broadcaster was facing significant challenges from widespread piracy of its exclusive live sports content. The problems included control word sharing piracy, unauthorized internet redistribution streams during major events, and rapidly evolving pirate techniques. This rampant piracy was causing damage to the broadcaster's brand, threatening customer retention, and putting its exclusive soccer rights at risk. To combat this, the broadcaster partnered with Irdeto to implement the Irdeto Piracy Control service.

Irdeto’s solution combined technical measures like smart card/STB pairing and session-based watermarking with a global 24/7 service that monitored for, analyzed, and enforced against pirated content. The results were highly successful. The broadcaster eliminated control word sharing, shut down illicit websites and streams, and protected its brand. This led to increased customer retention and acquisition and, crucially, allowed the broadcaster to maintain its exclusive soccer rights in all markets by demonstrating improved security.