AMC Networks secures content with NexGuard watermarking

AMC Networks Secures its High-Value Content with NexGuard Forensic Watermarking

NEW YORK — NexGuard, the leading provider of forensic watermarking technology and solutions, today announced that AMC Networks is deploying the NexGuard forensic watermarking system at its New York, NY facilities. AMC Networks, the company behind the hit television shows “The Walking Dead” and “Better Call Saul” among many others, owns and operates several of the most popular and award-winning brands in cable television, including AMC, WE tv, BBC AMERICA, SundanceTV and IFC.

With the NexGuard watermarking technology, AMC Networks acquires a system to forensically watermark its valuable video content with a unique identifier in post-production, making its worldwide distribution traceable and secure. This level of protection is particularly important for content owners looking at “day-and-date” access, in which content is made available on the same date globally over a number of distribution methods.

“Viewers all over the world demand day-and-date access to their favorite AMC Networks content. It is paramount for us to protect our assets when they are at their most valuable,” said Steve Pontillo, EVP & Chief Technology Officer, AMC Networks. “NexGuard’s watermarking technology enables AMC Networks to trace the source of potential illegal copies of each video asset; this enhanced content security is a powerful deterrent against piracy and protects our revenue and that of our distribution partners.”

“Series from AMC Networks, including “The Walking Dead”, finished the year among the top ten most popular and viewed series on television worldwide,” said Harrie Tholen, Managing Director of NexGuard. “We are delighted to work with AMC Networks to deploy our forensic watermarking technology to protect this valuable content.”

NexGuard provides watermarking plug-ins for most commercially available transcoders as well as solutions for other file, tape and disc workflows. AMC Networks has chosen to deploy the NexGuard system in the form of software plug-ins for their transcoder farms, thereby ensuring a seamless fit in AMC Networks’ existing content post-production and distribution workflow.