LONDON—Video software provider Synamedia has announced the acquisition of ContentArmor, an privately-held developer of forensic watermarking solutions for the media and entertainment industry.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
In announcing the deal, Synamedia said that adding ContentArmor’s technology, patents and expertise to Synamedia’s broad portfolio of security offerings, including its Synamedia EverGuard anti-piracy services, would strengthen its offering with edge and 5G watermarking capabilities.
This would improve Synamedia’s offerings for video service providers and boost Synamedia’s anti-piracy capabilities for movie studios and sports rights holders, across both OTT and direct-to-consumer services.
The acquisition will also extend Synamedia’s reach into new markets including post-production, in-flight entertainment, and enterprise video, the company said.
Edge watermarking is the most effective, secure and scalable approach for detecting and disrupting content leaks, and Synamedia anticipates a substantial market opportunity for it, particularly to stream premium content over 5G, it also noted.
“ContentArmor’s expertise and investment in R&D has resulted in more than 30% growth year-on-year since its inception, along with an impressive patent portfolio,” explained Paul Segre, Synamedia CEO. “This acquisition further accelerates our industry-leading security business, with edge watermarking fueling new opportunities in the [direct to consumer] streaming space and for 5G. In the security domain, our clear objective is to meet the needs of all video service providers that care about anti-piracy. The acquisition of ContentArmor strengthens that proposition.”
ContentArmor’s forensic watermarking complies with the MovieLabs Enhanced Content Protection specification for premium VOD and UHD/4K, and is already in use protecting studios’ movies by identifying the source of any unauthorized content distribution. The company also has strong partnerships with industry heavyweights including Akamai, AWS, and Limelight.
Alain Durand, ContentArmor CEO, will join Synamedia’s senior leadership team to help shape its security roadmap.
The ContentArmor team will continue to be based in Rennes, France, which will form a new R&D hub for Synamedia’s industry security and video solutions.
