CBS, Viacom Form ViacomCBS, Merging to Combat Netflix and YouTube

"The streaming wars haven't even started!" With ViacomCBS now accelerating its online video strategy, viewers are going to see even more competition for their attention.

Facebook Open Sources Two Video- and Photo-Matching Tools

With the goal of preventing harmful content, Facebook offers technology that can identify and block photos and videos as quickly as they're uploaded.

Vobile Group Buys Content Identification Tools From Zefr for $90M

The company is getting RightsID, which lets content owners see where their material is being used on major social platforms, and ChannelID, which manages official IP on YouTube.

SVOD Services Correlate With Lower Rates of Video Piracy

Ampere Analysis shows a correlation between large drops in video piracy and the availability of unlimited streaming SVOD services.

Brightcove Reduces and Reorganizes Staff, Denies Disarray

While Brightcove's CMO calls the change minor, an ex-employee says this caps a year of turmoil that started with the appointment of a new CEO.

Piracy Costs the U.S. Economy $29.2B Yearly, 80% From Streaming

Putting a price tag on the impact of digital piracy, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that global online piracy costs the U.S. economy $29.2 billion in lost revenue every year.

VidAngel Gets Potential Death Blow With $62.4M Judgment

A jury hit VidAngel with a $62.4 million fine for violating Hollywood studio copyrights by creating unauthorized reproductions from DVDs.

YouTube Highlights Video Policies Meant to Protect Minors

Following another damaging story about bad behavior on its platform, YouTube put out a blog post highlighting recent moves it made to safeguard minors.

TiVo Will Split Into Two Separate Companies to Maximize Value

One company will control the TV platform and the other TiVo's IP licensing. The separation should be complete in the first half of 2020.

Akamai Finds Widespread SVOD Credential Attacks From Hacking

Entertainment and gaming services are increasingly suffering from credential stuffing attacks, in which hackers attempt to gain access using stolen IDs.

No Content Royalties in Sisvel VP9/AV1 Patent Pools

Sisvel's Video Codec Licensing Platform will employ a "committed volume scheme" rather than a royalty cap, according to CEO Mattia Fogliacco, who did not rule out royalties on software-based encoding

Sisvel Launches Patent Pools for VP9 and AV1

The licenses cover devices such as smartphones, computers, TVs, set-top boxes, and graphics cards, but not encoded content—at least for now.

VidAngel Loses Court Case on DVD Filtering and Streaming

By filtering past adult content and streaming DVD titles online, the service is violating Hollywood studio copyrights, a judge asserts.

Unified Patents Challenges Velos Media Patent

The SEP Video Codec Zone also will provide companies targeted by HEVC IP owners with unique data and tools to negotiate fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory licenses

Major Financial Institutions Provide the Funding for Video Piracy

Curtailing video piracy could be as simple as cutting off the money that funds it. Irdeto points a finger at Visa, MasterCard, and other payment systems.

Streaming Video Alliance Releases Paper on Forensic Watermarking

At Microsoft Media and Entertainment Day, the SVA explains why adding watermarks to live and on-demand video is one part of a solution.

The MPAA Seeks Stronger Actions to Fight Streaming Video Piracy

Keeping premium content from being freely distributed online will take a mix of criminal and civil charges, as well as a coordinated response.

Connected TV Paranoia: 25% Worry TV Monitors Their Conversations

When digital privacy hacks regularly make the news, consumers worry that the connected TVs in their homes could be used for bad purposes.

Netflix, Amazon, Major Studios Bring Piracy Lawsuit on Set TV

A group of powerful studios wants to shut down Set TV, which sells a $20 per month subscription service that delivers 500 premium channels.

District Court Offers Split Verdict in TickBox Infringement Case

A judge has ruled the hardware-maker can no longer promote access to piracy software, but hasn't blocked sales of the set-top boxes.