CDSA

The spring edition of the “M&E Journal,” published by MESA and geared toward senior media and entertainment executives who oversee their companies’ digital futures, is now available online.

The 152-page publication features insights from more than two dozen MESA members, from Alteon to Wasabi Technologies, with the issue’s main focus centered on how automation is impacting every corner of the media and entertainment business.

Along with the cover section — “The Future is Automated” — the issue offers industry insights for several crucial industry areas, including “Workflows and the Cloud,” “Smart Content,” and “Security Solutions.” Additionally, the “M&E Journal” also features columns from MESA’s executive leadership.

Here’s a quick look at what’s included in the “Security Solutions” section:

• “Automating the Way to Better Security Operations” by Convergent’s Nipun Mehta and Jason Shea. Automation in film and TV production is increasing rapidly whether in visual effects and animation, AI in localization, motion capture or analyzing viewer reactions. Invariably automation involves cloud workflows and web facing applications where stringent security is paramount but not always configured correctly.

• “Driving Down Content Fraud with Automation” by Friend MTS’s Nik Forman. At the current pace of digitalization, the problem of rapid large-scale data processing becomes ever more pressing. In video security and anti-piracy, searching for illicitly redistributed streams across ever increasing number of websites, apps and devices has become a task that is not possible to deal with successfully if a significant level of scalability and automation is not present.

• “The Cloud is Only as Secure as You Make it” by LucidLink’s Randy Magiera. High-profile data and security breaches are a hot topic in the news as more companies transition their teams from on-premises environments to cloud computing solutions. Risk, compliance, and technology managers have a looming list of concerns when determining if adopting a cloud solution will open their organization to cybersecurity attacks.

In this article, LucidLink discusses the precautions, controls and assurances content owners need to keep in mind when moving to a cloud-first production workflow.

• “No Laughing Matter: Comedy is Top of the Bill for Pirates” by Synamedia’s Simon Brydon. It’s no joke: comedy is the most pirated genre of video. Our research with Ampere Analysis reveals entertainment piracy is 300 percent greater than sports. With insight into how consumers would behave if piracy was blocked, streamers can have the last laugh and recoup billions of dollars in lost revenue.

• “Strengthening Your Content’s Protection: Go Beyond DRM” by Verimatrix’s Jon Samsel. You might be surprised to learn DRM with token-based authentication can still be hacked. Breaches to delivery and device environments are outside the scope of what DRM can protect.

To fully thwart hackers and pirates, additional tools are needed, and comprehensive best practices should be followed.

• “Leveraging AI to Fight Streaming Piracy” by Irdeto’s Werner Strydom, Rodrigo Fernandes, and Jessica Alecci. In today’s video streaming landscape, protecting our favorite TV shows and movies from piracy requires rigorous analysis of data. A daunting task considering that associated data grows by billions of records each month.

This article explores how AI and ML can greatly improve the effectiveness of anti-piracy efforts in the industry.

• “Get Smarter with Your Security Response to Smart Devices” by Fortinet’s John Jacobs. What happens when your “dumb” water bottle becomes a “smart hydration vessel”? There are services and functions that benefit consumers and our growing demand for new sources of information.

Each of these new elements becomes a security risk, and only through automation can operators keep up with the growing threat landscape.

• “Digital Content Protection Amidst Industry Transformation” by Fortium Technologies’s Joanna Pontin. We have all welcomed 2023 as a new start after the disruption caused by the pandemic, but as we embrace the new, we also celebrate the established and steadfastness in our sector. As familiar organizations hit milestones, Fortium reflects on 24 years of helping organizations protect content and the concept that evolution, adaptation and imagination are essential to securing longevity.

Beginning Monday, June 26, look for stories from the spring edition of the “M+E Journal” every week in the “M+E Daily” newsletter.