OTT Content Security Market Overview and Introduction

OTT or over-the-top is the terminology utilized for the delivery of content via the internet without requiring users to subscribe to a traditional cable/broadcast provider. Owing to their internet-based delivery system, OTT platforms bypass third-party networks that traditionally managed the online content. OTT content providers, such as Netflix and Amazon, offer audio & video content that is viewed across multiple devices such as laptops, mobile devices, and OTT devices, among others. This has created a growing shift from cable viewing to the OTT model.

OTT platforms are increasingly being utilized to provide media and communication services related to television and movie content and with live streaming and video on-demand feature, they offer an excellent cost-effective medium for the ultimate user than the traditional cable and satellite platforms. With the increasing advent of OTT subscriber base, there is a requirement for content security to manage & protect the data and the content being shared across multiple platforms and devices. Content distribution technologies continue to be more fragmented than before, allowing consumers to watch content over the internet on various devices, from different locations, and at different times. Thus, securing the content for monetization has become all the more important.

With such proliferation of OTT comes security threats too, which can negatively affect the revenue model of a company. App forgery, malware attacks, SO file tampering, and reverse engineering are some of the critical threat vectors impacting the OTT framework. For instance, hackers aim for unauthorized access to the user’s premium content by tampering SO files (shared object files are used to load common files into the library) and enjoy exclusive content at no cost. For instance, some OTT providers apply techniques, such as code obfuscation, to protect DEX (Dalvik Executable) files; however, leave SO files insecure. This can lead the entire exercise to be futile, as even one weak link can turn the whole security framework ineffective.

OTT Content Security Market By Revenue Model

Based on model, the market can be segmented into subscription-based, advertising-based, and transaction-based. Among these, the subscription-based model continues to hold the largest share wherein users have paid subscription access to stream content. Companies, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, are some of the leading players offering subscription-based audio & video content for its users globally. As a result, subscription-based content providers stand to be at a higher risk owing to large amounts of audio & video content being shared across different streaming devices. For instance, in 2020, a popular content streaming service, ZEE5’s user data was hacked by a Korean hacking group, stealing over 150GB of live data and the website source code. Owing to such factors, the need for secured security services is on the rise. 

OTT Content Security Market By Deployment Model

Based on deployment model, the OTT content security market is classified into on-premise and cloud-based. Among these, cloud-based content is expected to witness the fastest growth and witness a majority of the market share in the coming years. Through the cloud-based model, service providers can effectively shed off the responsibility for the infrastructure and the network, supporting their OTT services. Through an established cloud-based provider, providers are able to create services quickly without bringing on added technical resources to maintain and manage the IT infrastructure. For instance, in 2020, Etisalat launched a new direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming service following a partnership with Synamedia. SwitchTV utilizes Synamedia's Infinite cloud TV platform and end-to-end video network portfolio, allowing Etisalat to process, secure, distribute, and monetize videos to several devices.

OTT Content Security Market By Type  

Based on type, the market is segmented by Tokens and Additional Security (Tokens, Entitlement, and HTTPs) Digital Rights Management (DRM) (Packager Encryption and Client Decryption), Watermarking, Geo-restrictions, Enhanced Proxy Detection, Media Encryption, and others. Among these, Digital Rights Management stands to be one of the most popular methods being implemented for securing content.  Digital Rights Management is a digital licensing system that allows content owners to control how and by whom their content is being consumed. It primarily prevents the unauthorized utilization of digital content, such as e-books, audio, and videos by allowing only authenticated users to utilize the content for an authorized time period. DRM includes the distribution of encryption and decryption keys and backend licensing servers with various functionalities such as policy control and offline playback control. Microsoft PlayReady, Apple FairPlay, and Google Widevine are the key DRM systems available in the market.  

OTT Content Security Market By Streaming Device

Based on streaming device, the market has been segmented by smartphones & tablets, desktops & laptops, and IPTV & consoles. Among these, the smartphones and tablets segment held a majority of the market share in 2019 and is expected to continue the same during the forecast period. For instance, in India, increasing smartphone penetration and the adoption of 4G networks have surged data consumption by over 70% in March compared to a year earlier. Social media, video conferencing, and OTT video were some of the key factors behind the surging mobile data traffic. Furthermore, to leverage the utilization of mobile platforms, leading OTT content providers introduced exclusive affordable mobile-based subscription plans for its users.

OTT Content Security Market Prominent Players

Some of the prominent players in the global OTT Content Security market are Synamedia, Akamai Technologies, INKA Entworks, Viaccess-Orca, Muvi LLC, Verimatrix, Inc., ABV International Pte. Ltd., and NAGRA, among others.