BT is the first in the UK to provide the industry with ATEME’s encoder which uses BISS-CA (Basic Interoperable Scrambling System Conditional Access) encryption. The company first used ATEME’s encoder during BT Sport’s transmission of the FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium and it has continued to be used to protect each of BT Sport’s Premier League live broadcasts this season.
TV piracy is an escalating problem, and according to anti-piracy company MUSO, nearly 190 billion visits were made to illegal piracy websites last year alone. Of this number, 5.75 billion came from the UK and 17.4 billion from the US. Piracy is especially prevalent in the sports industry and reportedly costs Premier League clubs around £1 million in sponsorship money every game, according to a separate study from MUSO. As the quality of sporting piracy streams continue to improve and hackers are managing to hide their identity, new ways of protecting sporting content are imperative to secure the integrity of the industry.
By using ATEME’s encoder, BT’s Media and Broadcast unit will be able to deliver the highest video quality at minimum bitrates with minimum latency, while keeping broadcasts secure. The BISS-CA protocol used in ATEME’s encoder is the perfect match for high quality video transmissions as the secure encryption tool enables broadcasters to protect themselves against piracy. ATEME’s encoder can be used across a variety of systems and software and determines the origin of an illegal stream with content being watermarked. Media rights holders can also grant and revoke receiving rights in real-time, securing broadcasts from the source to its end destination.
The BISS-CA encryption is an open, interoperable and secure standard of the BISS protocol with dynamic rolling key support for encryption to help broadcasters in the fight against piracy.