ibc_ibc 31/08/2014 13:18 Page 4
Egypt smartcard shutdown success
s a part of a
collaborative
investigation to
stop the illegal
distribution of satellite
channels across the
African continent,
Irdeto, in conjunction
with African pay-TV
operators, the Egyptian
Cybercrime Unit and
Egyptian Ministry of
Interior, have made
significant progress
with the arrest of two
Egyptian suspects.
These arrests mark the culmination of
one of the largest investigations into a
large-scale smartcard sharing piracy
network.
Members of the Egyptian Cybercrimes Unit
and several other enforcement agencies raided
the Cairo premises of a pirate operation
suspected of controlling and managing a major
smartcard sharing network, operating
throughout Africa. The raid uncovered several
electronic components, a server, 40
smartcards, several pirate decoders, smartcard
readers and other related equipment typically
used within a pirate smartcard sharing
operation. Cash of over US$230,000 was also
seized during the raid. All equipment
confiscated during the raids will be analysed
by the Egyptian Cybercrimes Unit and more
A
Ultra-HD TV shipments
to grow 160%
Ultra-HD TV shipments will
see a compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 160%
from 2013 to 2017, going
from 1.5 million units to
68.2 million, according to
Digitimes Research.
The firm estimates that
26.6% of all TVs shipped in
2017 will be Ultra-HD models,
and in the 55-inch segment,
more than 90% of the LCD
TVs to be shipped in 2017
will deliver Ultra-HD or higher
resolutions.
As with other new types of
video services, Ultra-HD
adoption will rely on
compatible content and TVs
to drive the market, according
to the researcher. While the
6 ADVANCED TELEVISION
arrests are forthcoming. The two suspects that
were arrested have been detained in custody,
pending a court appearance.
Irdeto asserts that smartcard sharing piracy
poses a major threat to pay-TV operators and
broadcasters and occurs when a pirate steals
and retransmits a regularly changing control
word that is passed between a smartcard and a
set-top-box, allowing viewers to watch pay-TV
content they have not legitimately paid for.
Rory O’Connor, VP of services at Irdeto,
said that as long as there are consumers who
are prepared to pay for illegal content, pirates
will continue to try to hack encryption systems
and turn a profit. “Irdeto remains dedicated to
identifying and countering organised criminal
enterprises who wish to circumvent our
customers’ security measures and financially
current video industry
environment in not ideal for
Ultra-HD TV, Digitimes argues
that the expected support of
Blu-ray Disc for Ultra-HD
content and increased usercreated content will help
demand take off in 2015.
However, it will be active
engagement from TV
manufacturers that will be the
primary driving force of UltraHD TV growth.
Traditionally, new TV
technologies, such as 3D and
OLED, have been driven from
the top end of the market, in
terms of both vendor support
and pricing.
Ultra-HD technology, on
the other hand, is being
driven by panel makers in
mainstream markets by a
multitude of vendors, with the
profit from pirated
content. Together with the
pay-TV operators and local
authorities, we will
relentlessly fight these
illegal operations on the
African continent, using
technology and the law to
its fullest extent,” he
declared.
“Piracy has negative
economic consequences
for all involved,” he said.
“Pay-TV operators commit
valuable resources to
provide compelling
content using the revenue generated through
subscriptions. When people pirate content,
less revenue is generated, and that results in
lower quality programs – and in some cases
even the withdrawal of content or higher
subscription costs for legitimate subscribers.
The Egyptian government has taken the right
proactive steps to mitigate this and protect
operators.”
The Irdeto Anti-Piracy and Forensics (APF)
Unit exists to identify and counter individuals
and enterprises who wish to circumvent an
operator’s security measures and financially
profit from pirated content. Understanding
where piracy is occurring – and actively taking
measures to stop it – is pivotal to successfully
growing revenues and protecting the pay-TV
business model.
China market taking the lead.
Based on this, leading
global vendors such as
Samsung and Sony may be
forced to engage in Ultra-HD
TV price competition earlier
than they would like, meaning
there is a chance for Ultra-HD
TV to quickly become
widespread in the overall TV
market. Digitimes Research
forecasts that in 2015 the
penetration rate of Ultra-HD
TVs in the overall TV market
will exceed 10% for the first
time, with shipments reaching
30m units.
Liberty’s Ziggo buy
‘will be cleared’
Cable MSO Liberty Global
will be given permission to
take over Dutch operator
Ziggo by the European
Commission, reports
suggest. However, the
approval will be conditional
on Liberty Global selling its
Film 1 channel to head off
competition concerns.
Liberty Global made a
formal offer of €34.53 a share
for Dutch cable market leader
Ziggo in January.
Ziggo was formed over five
years ago following the
merger of three separate
cable operators and has 55%
of the Dutch market. Liberty
Global's UPC has around 35%.
Together they will have four
million subscribers.
The European Commission
has set a November 3rd
deadline to make its final
decision.