Standards bodies and regulators quietly decide what becomes mandatory long before it reaches a press release. This category follows DRM and anti-piracy enforcement, codec licensing and patent pools, AI training-data copyright, and net neutrality and privacy rules shaping the industry.
The article discusses Canadian Heritage Minister Marc Miller’s more flexible stance toward U.S. demands in upcoming trade talks, including potential changes to Canada’s Online Streaming Act and Online News Act, while maintaining some non-negotiable cultural policy lines. It also outlines the federal government’s evolving approach to online harms legislation—covering social platforms and AI chatbots—and the political hurdles of passing such regulations in a minority Parliament.
CRTC Vice-Chair for Broadcasting Nathalie Théberge outlines how the regulator is modernizing Canada’s broadcasting framework under the Online Streaming Act, including integrating foreign online streaming services into the Canadian system and requiring base financial contributions estimated at $200 million annually for local news, French-language, and Indigenous content. She details recent decisions on accessibility requirements for online and on-demand services, an updated definition of Canadian audiovisual content that retains human creative control, and signals upcoming rulings on Canadian programming spend, distribution rules, and discoverability obligations for both traditional and online broadcasters.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), in collaboration with broadcasters like CBC/Radio-Canada and the BBC, is spearheading the development of the Media eXchange Layer (MXL). This open-source SDK aims to revolutionize media exchange within facilities by enabling direct memory sharing between applications, reducing latency and resource consumption compared to current streaming technologies like ST 2110 or NDI. MXL's first code release is anticipated by Q4 of this year, with a joint task force (JT-DMF) formed with AMWA to address orchestration and other layers of the Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) project.
DEG presented its 5th annual EnTech Awards recognizing innovation in the digital entertainment supply chain, distributing honors across 14 companies in 10 categories. Richard Berger of MovieLabs was awarded the Hall of Fame prize. This event highlights technology advancements within the streaming ecosystem, particularly in standardization and workflow improvements.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated an inquiry into seven companies that operate consumer-facing AI companion chatbots, issuing 6(b) orders to gather information. The inquiry focuses on how these firms measure, test, and monitor potential negative impacts of their AI technology, particularly regarding children and teenagers, and their compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule.
Access Advance announced that several global technology companies, including ByteDance, Dolby, Kuaishou, MediaTek, OPPO, Philips, and Tencent, have joined its Video Distribution Patent (VDP) Pool. This pool offers a single licensing solution for essential patents covering HEVC, VVC, VP9, and AV1 codecs. Participants cited the pool's balanced framework, simplified licensing, and support for innovation as reasons for their adoption.
CableLabs announced the certification of the industry's initial DOCSIS 3.1+ device equipped with four orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) channels. This certification signifies a milestone in broadband technology development. The newly certified device supports advanced capabilities for cable internet services.
DTVKit highlights DVB-NIP and ATSC 3.0 as IP-centric broadcast standards designed to modernize TV, enabling seamless video, interactive services, and 4K UHD across multiple devices. The standards aim to reduce operational costs for broadcasters and enhance viewer experience by future-proofing TV delivery against changing consumption patterns. ATSC 3.0 is already deployed in the U.S., South Korea, and Brazil, while DVB-NIP focuses on seamless video delivery for satellite and multicast applications.
This DVB article discusses DVB-I as a standards-based solution for delivering linear and on-demand television over the internet, emphasizing its potential for broadcasters to maintain universal access and prominence in the streaming era. It explores DVB-I's use cases, including next-generation free-to-air experiences and its role in discussions about sunsetting DTT platforms in various European markets. The article also highlights regulatory considerations for DVB-I implementation and the importance of vendor support for its adoption.
The article argues that Canada’s long-standing “cultural exemption” language in trade agreements (originating in the 1988 Canada–U.S. Free Trade Agreement and carried into CUSMA) may not adequately cover digital production and on-demand streaming technologies. It highlights potential vulnerabilities in agreements like CPTPP—particularly around e-commerce and differing definitions of “broadcasting”—and suggests Canada seek updated, technology-neutral definitions or adopt UNESCO-based “cultural expressions” language in the upcoming CUSMA review. It cites recent Canadian policy measures affecting streamers (e.g., the Online Streaming Act’s revenue contribution requirements) and platforms involved in news distribution (Online News Act).
The article argues that live sports are particularly vulnerable to piracy because delayed takedowns reduce the effectiveness of post-hoc enforcement, citing estimates that 17 million viewers watched the Super Bowl via illegal streams and survey data indicating 35% of NFL fans regularly use pirate streams. It reviews evidence from court-ordered ISP-level website blocking in the UK (2012–2014) and later blocking waves in India (2019–2020) and Brazil (2021), reporting statistically significant increases in visits to paid legal streaming sites (e.g., 8% in the UK after broader blocking, 8.1% in India in 2019, and 5.2% in Brazil in 2021). The authors note limited direct research on live sports stream blocking specifically, but suggest broader, simultaneous blocking of multiple piracy sites is more effective than targeting single high-profile sites.
This article explains the concept of 'John Doe' or 'Ashok Kumar' orders in India, which are blanket cease and desist injunctions granted against unknown infringing parties, particularly for intellectual property violations. These orders are regularly issued by Indian High Courts to combat piracy, especially in the media industry to prevent unauthorized distribution of films and illegal broadcasts. The article highlights their importance in managing piracy of films and broadcasts by unidentified individuals or cable operators.
North Carolina's Wireless Research Center, Device Solutions, PBS North Carolina, and N.C. Department of Information Technology are developing a new statewide digital paging system, Paging Plus, for public safety using NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) technology. This initiative, supported by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant, aims to upgrade traditional analog paging systems for first responders by leveraging the high-power broadcast signals of public television networks to provide improved coverage and capabilities like maps and videos.
The European Union is considering new regulations to restrict the use of US cloud platforms for processing sensitive government data, following concerns about US surveillance laws and potential data access issues. This move aims to enhance data sovereignty and the security of European government information.
