SAFE and SOUND

An analysis of why it is imperative to assess broadcast security in a world where piracy is more prevalent than ever

- ANISHA GAKHAR

Once bitten, twice shy – they say. Never bitten, never shy – I say.

A topic of immense value, usually bypassed by broadcasting companies, is that of security. Security and safety hold cardinal importance in any setup, more so – broadcasting. In recent times, many national and international conventions have given paramount focus to security in broadcasting and production, by means of hosting panel discussions and brainstorming sessions to instigate a sense of responsibility in the minds of broadcasters. IBC2019 kicked off with the IBC Executive Forums, bringing together top executives from across the industry to debate loopholes in the system. During a keynote presentation at SMPTE 2019, Jim Helman, CTO, MovieLabs, spoke about the core principles that underpin the organization’s 10-year vision for the future of cinema, one of which was security. MovieLabs is a non-profit research lab jointly run by Paramount Pictures Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and Television and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.run by major Hollywood studios. According to an IBC report, MovieLabs launched a whitepaper outlining its ideas for improving security as studios move to the cloud. “During the move to the cloud, you will have a number of assets,” said Helman. “With all of these assets, you may no longer have a facility protected by a well-defined perimeter or even a hybrid cloud perimeter. So we need to rethink security and make it more asset-centric, more scalable to address a wide-range of productions. If you have a high-budget blockbuster then you’re going to want to protect those assets, but a smaller regular cooking show may not need the same level of security,” he added.