NexGuard, a Kudelski Group company and a leading provider of forensic watermarking technology and solutions, will demonstrate its technology at Cabsat 2017 in Dubai.

Cabsat will run from March 21 to 23 at the Dubai World Trade Center.

The pay TV market in Mena is a rapidly evolving market, with sector forecast to reach $4 billion by 2021. However, piracy results in $750 million in lost revenue every year, according to the IDC “Piracy in the Middle East and Africa” report.

To help the Middle Eastern content industry better tackle the piracy challenge, NexGuard will demonstrate how its forensic watermarking technology pinpoints the source of any illicit leak at Cabsat, said a statement.

Demonstrations will focus on two high-growth areas in the region:
• Pay TV: Aimed at premium live and VOD content delivered to set-tops, SmartTVs and other video players, NexGuard technology enables each device to embed a unique watermark for any video. This is the only proven means of tracing illicit re-distribution back to a specific account. The company's solution for Pay TV is already deployed in 20 million devices worldwide, and compatible with VOD and live services delivered via satellite, cable or IPTV.

• OTT streaming: When content is streamed to a customer-owned device such as a tablet, PC or mobile phone, NexGuard Streaming adds a unique session-based identifier to the stream, making it possible to trace content that has been captured or re-streamed back to the original session.
 
“The Mena region will be an area of key growth over the coming years as the pay TV market gains momentum, particularly in the Gulf states,” said Chrys Poulain, sales director at NexGuard. “However, as a number of major players continue to invest in the region, it is apparent that pay TV operators need to implement solutions that safeguard their premium content. Having opened our Dubai office in 2015, we have acquired a thorough understanding of the local market which enables us to support content providers and operators throughout the region.”

Used for over 10 years by Hollywood studios to help track pirates, NexGuard forensic watermarking has been recognised by a Technology and Engineering Emmy award in 2016, demonstrating the central role played by the solution.

Following the publication of the MovieLabs specifications for Enhanced Content Protection, the studios are also making forensic watermarking a key security requirement for any operator providing early release or UHD/4K content, which several operators in the Middle East already offer or are planning to introduce in the near future.

Conscious of the importance of deterring piracy, AMC Networks and Zee TV have also recently deployed NexGuard forensic watermarking, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service