LONDON—U.K. commercial broadcaster ITV has selected Friend MTS anti-piracy services to help protect its content.
ITV will protect its main linear channels across broadcast and streaming platforms with Friend MTS’s 24×7 Global Monitoring service. These channels feature exclusive, premium content including Six Nations Rugby, the FA Cup, the England Women’s football team matches and the upcoming UEFA EURO 2024 tournament as well as entertainment like “The Masked Singer.”
“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 U.K., said ITV director of distribution Sarah Tierney. “As a key part of our strategy to optimize broadcast and supercharge streaming, it’s important that we maximize ITV’s reach while protecting audiences from the material consumer harms of pirate sites and meeting our contractual obligations with rightsholders.”
Using the Friend MTS best-in-class global monitoring platform, which includes proprietary, fingerprinting technology and automated detection systems, backed by a highly experienced 24×7 operations team, ITV be able to identify illegal streams across the internet for immediate takedown. The platform also will facilitate removal of links from primary search engines, the company said.
“We are seeing a tide of key entertainment brands turning to us to help them fight piracy and keep their content secure,” said Chris Gibbs, Friend MTS senior vice president of sales. “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.”
More information is available on the company’s website.
