Global DRM market to hit $18.19 billion by 2034 as AI threats scale

The 12.1% CAGR underscores a critical shift where DRM is no longer just about encryption, but about active, AI-driven defense against sophisticated piracy. For streamers, the immediate implication is a move toward server-side, cloud-native DRM that can scale dynamically with live events. Within the broader ecosystem, this spend reflects a growing necessity to protect premium IP as market fragmentation across OTT services lowers the barrier for unauthorized redistribution. To track this shift, watch for the adoption rate of blockchain-enabled licensing, which the report identifies as a primary innovation area for transparent digital rights tracking through the end of the decade.

The push for more resilient DRM comes as streaming piracy reaches record levels of economic impact. Per Parks Associates (November 2025), cumulative revenue losses to piracy for U.S. streaming providers are expected to surpass $113 billion by 2027. This surge is exacerbated by 'subscription fatigue' as 91% of U.S. internet households now manage an average of six streaming services, often leading consumers to seek lower-friction, illegal alternatives. Akamai reported in May 2025 that AI-powered bot traffic targeting media and publishing rose 300% in a single year, highlighting the need for the AI-driven DRM defenses mentioned in the Strategic Revenue Insights forecast.

Technologically, the industry is moving toward multi-DRM architectures to combat diverse device fragmentation. Research from MarketsandMarkets (June 2026) corroborates that software-based solutions will dominate 63.5% of the market share as providers pivot away from physical hardware-bound security. Furthermore, European regulatory shifts, including the Cyber Resilience Act, are forcing vendors to prioritize operational resilience over mere prevention. As reported by Forbes in February 2026, the speed gap between bot-driven pirate relaunches—often taking minutes—and legal court orders—taking days—is a primary factor driving the current 16.9% annual growth in the sub-sector for automated, real-time protection software.