16 Mar DEG Welcomes Irdeto as a New Member: Meet Shane McCarthy, COO for Video Entertainment
Irdeto’s Shane McCarthy (above) predicts that rising inflation will continue to contribute to the availability of pirated content, which is generally less expensive than that on mainstream paid services.
March 16, 2022 | DEG welcomes Irdeto as a new member. Irdeto is a leader in digital platform cybersecurity, empowering businesses to innovate for a secure, connected future. Building on over 50 years of expertise in security, Irdeto’s services and solutions protect revenue, enable growth and fight cybercrime in video entertainment, video games, and connected industries including transport, health and infrastructure. With teams around the world, Irdeto’s greatest asset is its people and diversity is celebrated through an inclusive workplace, where everyone has an equal opportunity to drive innovation and support Irdeto’s success.
DEG connected with Shane McCarthy, the company’s Chief Operating Officer for Video Entertainment, to discuss issues in digital content security.
DEG: What’s the most pressing security issue facing Irdeto’s video entertainment clients in 2021?
SM: Leaking content. Piracy in the end-to-end OTT distribution chain is increasing significantly. With rising inflation, and pirated content available at far more affordable prices, it will continue to rise.
DEG: How is that impacted by the rapid growth in the number of OTT services in the market?
SM: Piracy in OTT is on the ascendancy. Today’s pirates have two advantages when compared to traditional piracy of the past. There is more opportunity to get access to pirated content, and piracy is now an evolving threat. In the past, you could take out a pirate or stop a form of piracy, which would have longer-lasting effects, now piracy evolves and moves quicker.
DEG: If you could tell the DEG community just one thing about Irdeto, what would it be?
SM: We understand the threats and opportunities in the end-to-end value chain better than others for two primary reasons. First, we work in close partnership with the world’s biggest studios, operators, and OTT providers. Second, we have one of the world’s largest operators as a parent which gives us a unique advantage in understanding the business.
DEG: How do you most often enjoy entertainment at home, and what are you currently watching?
SM: I watch OTT and linear. In linear I generally consume sports and news. I am an avid sports fan. Football and F1 to name but two. On OTT, I watch box sets or fly-on-the-wall-type documentaries. As I write this, I have just turned on ‘Drive to Survive Season 4’ on Netflix. A must-watch for any F1 fan!
For more information, visit www.irdeto.com.