How the Academy Awards Secured Films For Oscar® Voters

Established in 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s leading organization dedicated to the movie industry. With members representing all facets of film production, the Academy upholds the highest standards of cinematic artistry while inspiring the creative community in the universal language of storytelling. Its pinnacle award presentation, the Academy Awards®, honors outstanding achievement in acting, directing and other areas of motion picture production.

PROTECTION AGAINST PIRACY

The Academy’s international membership uses its streaming platform, Academy Screening Room, to watch movies in consideration for the upcoming award season. With such a wide distribution platform, it’s crucial that the Academy maintain security of its owned content. In addition, it’s important to have a firm defense against piracy, an issue that’s been impacting the film industry and other content providers for years.

FORENSIC WATERMARKING

Working with Akamai, NAGRA, and BuyDRM, Brightcove® led a joint effort to deliver a Forensic Watermarking solution for the Academy Screening Room. With this valuable new feature, the Academy can now control piracy across its platform by auditing content, as well as tracking down stolen content and distribution. Anyone with access to the member streaming portal is prohibited from participating in pirate activity such as screen recording content, recording with other devices, and removing video clips. “It demonstrates how video technologies have evolved to include critical security functionalities that protect against piracy,” said Bev Kite, the Academy’s Chief Information Officer, about Forensic Watermarking. “The Academy can continue to deliver content to our members, while strengthening security measures to maintain confidentiality, and protect artists and intellectual property.”

A POWERFUL COLLABORATION

Brightcove’s partnership with Akamai was key to the creation of this secure solution for the Academy. Akamai’s storage and delivery of the screening content maintained the forensic watermark pattern, forming a unique identity for each user while creating a barrier against piracy. Amit Kasturia, Senior Media Product Manager at Akamai, summed it up this way: “The Academy’s forensic watermarking implementation shows how Brightcove, NAGRA, Akamai, and BuyDRM can form an ecosystem that supports enhanced security across the entire content delivery workflow while maintaining the high quality of experience that viewers expect.”

Image Credit: ©A.M.P.A.S

NOT JUST THE ACADEMY, THE ENTIRE FILM INDUSTRY

Video technology has now advanced to deliver essential security features that provide a true defense against piracy. For the Academy, as well as the worldwide film industry, this represents real progress in halting the theft and misuse of content that constantly threatens the bottom line. And for the individual creators and contributors to the industry, this technology protects their intellectual property and allows them to work with less worry and concern. From Hollywood productions to internal corporate messaging, the integrity and security of video content is of paramount importance to Brightcove. With support for the most sophisticated, studio-grade content protection, plus advanced security features, Brightcove remains a trusted and reliable solution as it empowers the world’s largest organizations to deliver sensitive video content with security and confidence.