The Channel | 2002 | September

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the channel | 23
Consider this scenario. A major movie star is advised by his agent
and legal team to include a contractual demand that the feature film
he is to star in must be ‘watermarked’ in order that the 2-points-a-
movie share that the star is due to receive for the worldwide TV rights
deal may be accurately measured for the lifetime of the movie.
The watermark is indelible and invisible, and does not affect the picture
quality. As the process of watermarking occurs in post production,
the trailers for the feature are also trackable and the broadcast
marketing of the movie is precisely monitored by the producers and
distributors. Nine months later, on the evening that the movie is
broadcast, the advertisers who have paid for the ad breaks are also
receiving instant and accurate data reports verifying the precise time
and duration of their ad units to see that they match up with their
inventory.
Cut to the news bulletin that runs before and after the movie on this
particular evening. The pictures contain footage from each of the news
agencies who have watermarked their output and know just howmuch
of the news programme relied upon the use of their material. To the
second. And that’s before the sports presenter has got started.
With this information, the business bods at the production company,
the distributor, the advertiser and the news agency can get out their
laptops and start to compute the return on investment. This data
provides a precise management information tool, enabling them to
make informed decisions about the reach and performance of their
video content.
If, as a broadcaster, you find this difficult to contemplate or think it’s
an unlikely scenario, it’s only the half of it. Lobbying before US
Congress this year by entertainment companies - to find and develop
copy-protection systems that media companies can use when they
sell their content - has included a proposal to embed watermarks in
every piece of digital media carrying instructions about how it is to
be played or copied. Stemming from the introduction of the DMCA
(Digital Millennium Copyright Act) in 1998 and now furthered by
this year’s proposed CBDTPA (Consumer Broadband and Digital
Television PromotionAct), the issue of digital media piracy is currently
developing into a feud over whether technology companies or
entertainment companies should be responsible for developing
adequate protection against digital media piracy and is consequently
generating vigorous opposition amongst consumer groups.
The movie star example, based as it is upon verifying existing
contractual agreements and revenue share from a summer blockbuster,
would certainly appear a credible scenario especially in light of the
current attention being awarded to copyright protection in the US by
Congress. Some of what is described here has already begun to happen.
Content owners across the sectors of news, archive, programming
and advertising have begun to look at how their output is working for
them. The rapidly evolving digital media world - on a truly international
scale - continues to create countless new business opportunities. There
are now many types of delivery systems for content, as well as a
proliferation of channels on cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcasting
platforms. But conversely, keeping track of who is using what material
and who owns it is more complex and more important than ever.
Part of the answer is an automated means to precisely identify content.
Video and audio watermarking technology allows data to be
transmitted within analogue or digital signals, by embedding it within
the video or audio itself. All content is watermarked and is monitored
as to when, where and for how long it is aired. Accurate, instant data
is received by the content owner and the content is retrospectively
charged, akin to a system of collection societies for the music industry
but with a much harder-edged body of evidence. Dependence solely
upon an invoice as ‘proof of airing’ is abandoned in favour of an
accurate automated television tracking and reporting system. Sound
Broadcast Technology
Transparency: realise what you’re missing
Matt Burgess looks at the need - ever more pressing - to protect hugely valuable
broadcast assets
From Cruise through Formula One to the
Teletubbies - you’ve invested in the content -
but who’s using your assets? Are they legal, or
pirates...