BROADCAST MONITORING

Over the last few years, the number of television and radio channels delivering content has notably expanded. And the amount of content flowing through these media vehicles continues to grow exponentially. With the global television and radio landscape changing more quickly than ever before, how can content owners effectively manage their media assets and ensure fair compensation?

In this highly fragmented and fast changing market, knowing the real broadcast reality has become critical for content owners, copyright holders, distributors and broadcasters.

But how can they know what happens when their content leaves the building? Is it actually airing? Is it used according to contract? Edited without permission? Re-run multiple times without consent? Visibility into when and when content is aired or accessed has become a huge challenge for the entire industry.

DIGITAL WATERMARKS IN A CONTENT TRACKING ENVIRONMENT

Watermarking is an innovative technology that has proven to be highly valuable to content owners, producers, copyright holders and broadcasters throughout the world. By embedding a digital watermark in audio or video content at the time of production or broadcast, it allows content owners, for example, to identify with granular precision when and where content is broadcast, who is broadcasting and for how long.

Digital Watermarking works by making very subtle modifications to the original asset by adding some bit data disseminated throughout the content. The modifications are indiscernible to human senses, but can easily be detected and decoded using dedicated hardware or software. Being part of the content itself, any attempt to destroy or remove it will also ruin the quality of the material in which it is embedded.

Digital watermarks can be linked to a database with more complete metadata associated with the content, depending on the solution requirements. The metadata can be anything related to the content such as title, type of content, author, etc.In a broadcast monitoring environment, specialized equipment is used to monitor and track television channels or radio stations. Upon detection of a watermark, data are analyzed and broadcast details rapidly confirmed and precisely reported.

Digital watermarking helps content owners and copyright holders to…

• Evaluate the true reach of media assets
• Confirm and prove content broadcast and usage
• Determine contractual compliance
• Immediately identify new sales opportunities
• Identify potential misappropriation of assets
• Communicate content rights and intent

Digital watermarking helps broadcasters and agencies to…

1. Verify contracts and invoices for ultimate accuracy and accountability
2. Reduce in-flight discrepancies by improving media stewardship

Digital watermarking helps key broadcasters and networks to…

• Electronicly verify affidavits/invoices
• Replace electronic or manual affidavits/invoices
• Compare schedules versus detections for faster invoice development
• Report or electronically transmit available affidavit/invoice databases