Widevine to Protect Content on EchoStar STB's Equipped with Sling Media's TV Placeshifting Technology

Content protection and video optimization specialist, Widevine, said Tuesday that EchoStar's EchoStar Technologies and Sling Media subsidiaries have selected its DRM solution for the protection of content delivered by EchoStar's SlingLoaded set-top boxes (i.e. set-tops equipped with Sling Media's TV placeshifting technology, which allows users to watch and control their home TV remotely via desktop PC, Mac, laptop and a range of smartphones). Earlier this year (see the article published on itvt.com, May 5th), Widevine announced that it had been tapped by EchoStar's corporate stablemate, DISH Network, to provide adaptive streaming, virtual DVD-like "trick-play" functionality and DRM for the satellite TV provider's "TV Everywhere" service. EchoStar has previously deployed Widevine's DRM technology on its ViP 922 HD DVR, which is used by DISH Network. "Our innovative consumer devices embedded with Widevine's widely adopted security bring peace of mind to content owners and service providers seeking to maintain their revenue model while providing consumers unparalleled flexibility to watch their content on the go," Mark Jackson, president of EchoStar Technologies, said in a prepared statement. "This collaborative solution gives cable, satellite, telco or other service providers seeking a multiscreen solution another layer of industry-accepted security for placeshifting home TV content to PC's, Macs and other consumer electronics."

Widevine's deal with Sling Media is the latest in a string of deals that the company has announced over the past week or so: its other newly announced customers are Sonic Solutions, Saffron Digital and Hisense (see the article published on itvt.com, August 8th). According to the company, its software platform optimizes the entertainment experience for content delivered over any network to any device, and is natively supported in nearly all major brands and types of network-connected consumer electronics, including TV sets, Blu-ray players, mobile devices, gaming systems and more.