Turkey’s Digiturk and Irdeto double down on battle against piracy

Irdeto Frankland

Cybersecurity specialist Irdeto has strengthened its partnership with leading Turkish PayTV broadcaster Digiturk. An expanded alliance will see the platform deploying Irdeto’s integrated 360 Video Security Services to protect its premium content.

“With operators worldwide offering a broad range of content-based services from set-top boxes, the requirement for premium security is paramount,” said Richard Frankland, SVP of global sales in video entertainment at Irdeto. “We will enhance Digiturk’s ability to acquire premium content rights, and ensure they remain protected.”

Part of beIN Media Group, Digiturk is the main sports broadcaster in Turkey, holding the rights for Turkish Super Lig, France’s Ligue 1, the English Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, in addition to a variety of other sports rights.

“We have longstanding relationship with Irdeto for our content protection solutions,” said Hatice Memiguven, EVP of technology at Digiturk. “Now we are expanding our use of Irdeto’s services by deploying their latest Cloaked CA and OTT watermarking technologies, providing Digiturk with a solution against risks posed by piracy.”

By introducing Irdeto’s 360 Video Security solution, Digiturk ensures access to the latest technology to secure its TV platform through one single supplier. Irdeto’s portfolio allows content owners and operators to implement an intelligence-driven approach to anti-piracy, ensuring their content is protected for paying customers.

Piracy is recognised as a major problem in Turkey. In 2022, Bloomberg reported that bids for Turkish football broadcasting rights were $100m short of expectations – largely as a result of rampant piracy. Previously, Digiturk has suggested that sports rights piracy is costing the Turkish TV industry in the region of $26m a year.