Irdeto strengthens anti-piracy tech for live sports
September 10, 2025
Irdeto, a specialist in digital video platform experiences and security, has unveiled a new scalable feature to address key rotation requirements mandated by sports rights holders for the protection of high-value sports leagues.
The new capability is part of Irdeto Control, a cloud-based multi-DRM solution that secures premium video content across all major devices, delivering more than 15 billion DRM transactions per month, and serving more than 200 million users. It supports DRM technologies such as Widevine, FairPlay and PlayReady, enabling broadcasters and OTT platforms to enforce licensing policies, protect live and on-demand content, and meet strict security requirements with minimal integration effort. In addition, Irdeto Control is a highly scalable DRM SaaS that leverages DRM protocols to provide advanced piracy and fraud mitigation mechanisms such as DRM-based concurrency management, vulnerable device and device model blocking, script and emulator blocking, and geo/VPN blocking.
Irdeto’s solution effectively reduces the exposure window for each content encryption key by enabling high-frequency key cycling at the DRM level. This makes common piracy methods such as key extraction and CDN leeching harder to achieve. The continuous renewal of keys forces repeated authentication, disrupting the stability of unauthorised streams and increasing their likelihood of failure. This consistent degradation of the pirate experience helps shift users back toward legitimate platforms, supporting improved monetisation and stronger content protection for rights holders.
“Piracy in live sports continues to evolve rapidly, and rights holders are demanding tougher security standards that don’t hinder operational efficiency,” said Andrew Bunten, Chief Operating Officer, Video Entertainment at Irdeto. “With this new capability in Irdeto Control, we’re empowering broadcasters and streaming platforms to stay ahead of pirates, without disrupting their video workflow or viewer experience. It’s a major step forward in protecting the value of live content.”