ITV taps Friend MTS for anti-piracy services

Video content security provider Friend MTS has been selected by UK broadcaster ITV for its anti-piracy services.

ITV will deploy Friend MTS’s 24×7 Global Monitoring service to protect its main linear channels across broadcast and streaming platforms.

Friend MTS global monitoring platform incorporates fingerprinting technology and automated detection systems, backed by a an experienced 24×7 operations team. This will help identify illegal streams across the internet for immediate takedown, and facilitate the removal of links from primary search engines, says the company.

ITV’s catalogue of premium content includes Six Nations Rugby, the FA Cup, the England Women’s football team matches, the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 tournament, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, The Masked Singer and Celebrity Big Brother, Red Eye and Trigger Point.

Sarah Tierney, director of distribution at ITV, said, “ITV’s aim is to contribute to making piracy unsustainable and through appointing Friend MTS we will be working together to enhance our anti-piracy activities in the UK. As a key part of our strategy to optimise broadcast and supercharge streaming, it’s important that we maximise ITV’s reach while protecting audiences from the material consumer harms of pirate sites and meeting our contractual obligations with rights holders.”

Chris Gibbs, senior vice president of sales at Friend MTS said, “We are seeing a tide of key entertainment brands turning to us to help them fight piracy and keep their content secure. Our unrivalled capabilities not only reduce exposure to piracy but ensure advertiser messaging is seen by the right people, which is paramount for an ad-funded businesses like ITV.”