2018 turned out to be a bad one for piracy. And despite impassioned rants from the people behind some of the more well-known avenues for Streaming piracy the major studios have been finding ways to shut down IPTV services, APKs built around sharing copyrighted work and forcing developers who put together adding for KODI to cease production. How are they doing it? There are a number of methods. But one of the more interesting things we learned about at CES this year was Synamedia.
The company provides a number of services to TV operators from help with technology and delivery of content to stamping out the use of their content by unauthorized parties. And while password sharing has picked up the bulk of the coverage surrounding Synamedia since last week, the company has the power to look into a lot more than that.
Finding the source of piracy
Through proprietary methods, the folks at Synamedia find places where the content of their clients is being distributed. This is done through a variety of ways from water marks to much more advanced methods. Over the course of its investigation the company finds the source of the distribution network behind an offending app or site and gathers pertinent information on the people responsible for the offense. It then shares the information with their client so that it can follow-up in which ever fashion it chooses.
The most Sought after content
Despite the hype around Netflix password sharing the biggest focus of the content industry at the moment is preventing major name live events from being hijacked and distributed. These are things like major live sports events, UFC, Major Football Games, The World Cup etc. They also include major awards shows.
Ways it fights it
According to reps from Synamedia the people behind this sort of piracy distribution are very well-funded and crafty. For instance the piracy hunters know that if you plug one leak another will pop up in its place as the faux distributors adjust. So how do they deal with this? Creatively. First off, by identifying the offender the rights holders have a chance to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. But there are other ways to hurt piracy and one of them is almost devious. It is making it an unplesent experience for those using it. It’s quite possible that viewers watching an even may find that the signal goes out right as a final drive is on the move or a shootout is beginning. Why because then people will say “well I should have just gone to the bar etc.” The more negative experiences people have with illicit services the more they are likely to consider legal options instead. It’s about stopping the demand for it.
What About Password sharing
In the case of password sharing, if a client wishes to deal with that problem a user who is found out to be giving out a password to a friend or family member may be asked to upgrade their service to a tier that allows for things like that. But at the moment squashing such things is not the main focus of major streaming services. Distribution of exclusive content is. So at the moment Netflix is not on the hunt to find out if you are sharing your login with one or two people. On the other hand if you are sharing it with 200 people you could end up on the radar. In general Netflix is going to be far more concerned with someone setting up a video service that provides Netflix content for a profit without permission. HBO would probably rather have a subscription for everyone who tunes into Game of Thrones this year, but most definitely does not want to see the next season end up on the latest “Netflix Killer” you see on YouTube or advertised on a forum. So nobody is going to arrest granny for watching you Amazon this week, even if they notice it. But big time distributors better look over their shoulders.
There is more on this topic than has been covered in this story. We plan to further educate the public during the course of this year.
