Synacor tackles TV Everywhere password abuse
April 5, 2018
Technology development, multiplatform services and revenue specialist Synacor has unveiled Forever Login, a feature designed to curb pay-TV’s password sharing challenges that research firm Parks Associates estimates will be a $10 billion (€8.14bn) problem.
Available on the company’s Cloud ID authentication platform, the new feature lets operators balance easy subscriber access to TV Everywhere content with control over the maximum number of concurrent devices allowed and the length of time before viewers need to login again, if ever. Consumers register trusted devices as part of an operator’s sign-in process, providing access to content anywhere without the need to re-enter passwords.
“Operators want to give subscribers the anytime, anywhere TV Everywhere access they crave, but there are complex rights and meaningful business issues that have stood in the way,” explained Himesh Bhise, CEO of Synacor. “Forever Login lets TV Everywhere subscribers say goodbye to passwords, while giving operators the tools they need to tackle what analysts are calling a $10 billion password abuse problem facing the pay-TV industry.”
When paired with Synacor’s mobile Single Sign-On technology that keeps users logged in across multiple apps, Forever Login clears the way for increased TV Everywhere usage both in and out of the home. The feature is available now and commercially deployed at pay-TV operators in the United States.
“We serve an increasingly diverse group of digital consumers who want to watch TV on their terms,” said Scott Young, Director of Marketing at Service Electric Cablevision. “Synacor’s Forever Login is the first tool that enables us to easily enforce fraud prevention rules while improving the consumer experience.”
As operators seek to provide seamless viewing experiences across devices such as smartphones, tablets, connected TVs and computer browsers, Synacor aims to pioneer technologies that improve the user experience and align with evolving business needs. Cloud ID with Forever Login and Concurrency Monitoring helps operators:
- Address password abuse. Reduces piracy and fraud by setting an operator-determined maximum number of concurrent streams and failed login attempts, with automated enforcement and attack prevention available.
- Reduce trouble calls. Password problems are a frequent reason for service calls but can be reduced by eliminating the need to re-enter them. Cloud ID’s password recovery makes self-care even easier.
- Offer easy access, anywhere. While Synacor’s home-based authentication eliminates passwords for viewers on their operator’s network, Forever Login now supports subscriber logins from anywhere.
- Empower subscribers. Subscribers can monitor all devices signed in to stream video to spot suspicious activity and remotely log a device out of a service if a device is lost, or a password is stolen.
Forever Login automatically registers a user’s device the first time they log into a TV Everywhere app, and continues to authorise video on the device in compliance with operator policies. Whereas all existing authentication solutions require a user to re-enter credentials after a set period of time, Forever Login simply prompts users to ‘continue’ to access the app or site they’re using to watch pay-TV.
“Forever Login is as easy to deploy as it is to use and was developed following persistent interest from customers,” said John Kavanagh, Executive Director of Identity Services at Synacor. “Pairing powerful content protection with a better viewing experience is an industry first letting operators combat abuse while increasing engagement. Synacor is eager to continue expanding roll-outs following positive feedback from early customer deployments.”