When it comes to fighting video piracy, many organizations are still stuck in a reactive “whack-a-mole” mindset that fixes one problem only for another to pop up shortly thereafter. Sure, it feels like a quick solution, but for pay-TV providers, streaming services, and broadcasters, it’s a losing game. 

Piracy has evolved into something way, way more complex than just file sharing. We’re now dealing with threats such as CDN leaching, illegal restreaming, and multiple paths toward unauthorized access to highly valuable content. If operators just keep plugging leaks as they appear, they’ll always be one step behind while also losing time, money, and trust.

The financial hit is huge: research shows that pay-TV services can lose anywhere from 14% to 25% of their revenue to piracy. That’s not just a minor inconvenience. That impacts a business in a big way. Fixing every vulnerability as it shows up (like bailing water out of a sinking ship without actually fixing the leaks) can’t suffice. If we really want to tackle piracy, the industry needs to place an even heavier emphasis on the need to work together. Collaboration is king in this scenario.

Why patching alone fails

1. Pirates evolve faster than patches can keep up

Pirates aren’t static. They adapt constantly, sharing new tactics in forums and shady networks. When one way to distribute content is blocked, another pops up in no time. So, playing whack-a-mole with patches is clearly a losing strategy: for every hole an operator plugs, pirates just find another weakness—whether that’s exploiting a Content Delivery Network (CDN), stolen credentials, or flaws in third-party systems. 

 

2. Blind spots can abound

When operators patch individual leaks, they often just tackle the symptoms, such as one stream being illegally restreamed, rather than addressing the deeper issues like weaknesses and lack of visibility/measurement in distribution or authentication systems. Many don’t have the complete intelligence needed to see how pirates are actually getting into their networks. Without the right monitoring tools, analytics, and overall transparency, gaps remain. 

 

3. Patching wastes resources without reducing overall risk

Every quick fix takes up time, effort, and money. Yet, these band-aid solutions don’t really reduce piracy losses. Instead of diminishing the overall threat, patching just moves it around. Over time, this reactive method drains resources that could go toward better monitoring and building deeper partnerships with trusted allies.

 

4. Fragmentation: It will consistently hamper defenses

When every operator goes it alone, pirates have a field day with inconsistent defenses. One platform might aggressively tackle CDN leaching, while another might completely ignore it. Thus, this fragmentation limits the industry’s ability to share intelligence about new threats. 

To effectively fight piracy, the mindset needs to move from one-offs to a more comprehensive approach. This means forming strong, ongoing partnerships along the content delivery chain:

  • Platform providers: Streaming and pay-TV platforms control the infrastructure that pirates ultimately exploit. Working closely together ensures that vulnerabilities like CDN leaching and unauthorized credential usage are spotted.
  • Security specialists: Teams like Verimatrix bring specialized anti-piracy technology, threat monitoring, and expertise that can uncover patterns that might be invisible to individual operators.
  • Content owners: Studios, networks, and rights holders need to play an active role—sharing insights, aligning best practices, and backing enforcement actions.

By combining efforts, these groups can implement proactive strategies that not only thwart individual piracy attempts but also make piracy a losing game.

Building a unified front against piracy

A collaborative approach involves several key components:

  • Monitoring and threat assessment: Operators and their security partners need to keep a close watch on networks to pinpoint where and how piracy is happening. 
  • Strategic hardening of systems: Instead of waiting for pirates to find a weakness, operators should strengthen their entire networks—from content workflows to app-level protections—using best practices and proven security technologies.
  • Transparent communication: Sharing information about new attack methods and vulnerabilities helps build a stronger collective defense. 
  • Enforcement actions: While tech plays a crucial role, legal measures like takedown notices, lawsuits, or collaborating with authorities are also vital in a holistic approach.

The industry can’t afford to just “stand still.” Operators need to be quicker than the pirates. And that’s something that can only happen if the whole ecosystem works together. By teaming up with platform providers, content owners, and industry partners, Verimatrix helps video service operators move to more long-lasting protection.