Irdeto, the proven expert in content security for Digital TV, IPTV and mobile and a subsidiary of the multinational media group Naspers, today announced it has joined Coral Consortium, an industry-wide technology initiative whose goal is to deliver an open, voluntary standard for interoperability between digital rights management (DRM) technologies for consumer devices and services.

Irdeto's content security solutions have been playing a key role in protecting legitimate media distribution systems around the world for more than two decades. Irdeto's content security solutions are embedded into set-top boxes and mobile devices and deployed in cable, satellite, terrestrial, broadband and mobile networks, protecting operators from piracy and securing their revenues by enabling a variety of different business models.

The lack of standards for interoperability between proprietary technologies represents an obstacle to the broad deployment of legitimate, consumer-friendly media distribution, especially when consumers want to move content from one device to another. By joining Coral Consortium, Irdeto aims to further its vision of putting the consumer at the center of the content enjoyment experience, enabling content to be securely played on a variety of devices while still protecting the rights of the content owner.

"Consumers are rapidly adopting new types of media devices and developing greater expectations about where, when and how they consume content. The industry must ensure that we enable the enjoyment of media content and choice of device while transparently protecting the investment of content creators," said Graham Kill, CEO of Irdeto. "Working with Coral Consortium, Irdeto will help enable a framework that makes this possible." Please visit Irdeto at CTIA Wireless, booth #2019, April 5-7, 2006, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.