DoveRunner and CDNetworks add forensic watermarking to fight streaming piracy

DoveRunner and CDNetworks on November 10, 2026 announced a partnership that lets media companies trace pirated streams back to the original viewing session across CDNetworks' delivery network. The move targets growing illicit IPTV use in Europe and expands anti-piracy tools across high-growth video markets in APAC and the Middle East.

Why it matters: - Streaming piracy can drain revenue from legitimate pay-TV and streaming providers. - The partnership gives rights holders a way to identify where a pirated copy came from and act faster. - CDNetworks customers can add anti-piracy protection without changing the viewer experience.

What happened: - DoveRunner and CDNetworks announced a strategic partnership on November 10, 2026. - The agreement brings DoveRunner Forensic Watermarking to CDNetworks' global edge network. - Media and entertainment companies using CDNetworks can now deploy session-specific watermarking to premium video streams. - The companies said the combined offer is aimed at helping streamers and rights holders find the source of pirated video and shut it down.

The details: - DoveRunner Forensic Watermarking invisibly embeds a session-specific identifier into each viewer's stream. - If a stream is captured and redistributed illegally, the content owner can extract the identifier from the pirated copy and pinpoint the originating session. - The watermarking runs server-side, so viewers do not need client-side installs. - The feature is designed to have no impact on playback. - The system supports H.264, H.265, and AV1 across all renditions. - Cartesian tested the technology against common pirate attacks. - Sony's Golden Eye program certified the technology as studio-approved. - CDNetworks operates more than 3,000 Points of Presence worldwide. - CDNetworks provides cloud security, web and network performance, media delivery, and edge computing in more than 90 countries and regions. - CDNetworks has especially deep coverage in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and other high-growth regions. - DoveRunner has more than two decades of content security experience. - DoveRunner is founded in 2000 in Seoul, South Korea, and has offices in India, Indonesia, and the United States. - DoveRunner's Content Security suite includes Multi-DRM, License Cipher, Forensic Watermarking, Anti-Piracy, and Piracy Guard. - DoveRunner's Mobile Application Security suite protects apps against tampering and reverse engineering. - DoveRunner is ISO certified to 27001, 27017, and 27018 standards. - CDNetworks also offers zero trust security and colocation services. - CDNetworks has more than 20 years of technology experience.

Between the lines: - The partnership combines delivery infrastructure with tracing technology, which can make anti-piracy enforcement easier to operationalize at scale. - CDNetworks' reach in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe aligns with regions where streaming growth and piracy pressure are both rising. - A study released this month by the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance estimated that 34.4 million people across the EU, UK, and Switzerland accessed illicit IPTV services in 2025. - The same study estimated a potential €5.8 billion in annual revenue losses for legitimate pay-TV providers. - Bowie Chen, Head of Sales for North America and EMEA at CDNetworks, said customers want help defending content after it leaves the network. - James Ahn, CEO of DoveRunner, said pairing CDNetworks' reach with forensic watermarking gives customers a proven way to find the source of a leak without adding friction to viewing.

What's next: - Media and entertainment companies on CDNetworks can begin deploying the watermarking capability across their streaming workflows. - The companies are positioning the partnership for use across the EU, the Middle East, and APAC. - Rights holders may use the tracing data to pursue takedowns and other enforcement actions after a leak is identified.

The bottom line: - The partnership aims to turn piracy response from guesswork into source-level tracing, while keeping the stream unchanged for viewers.