MAM
Synamedia launches Credentials Sharing Insight – turns casual password sharing into incremental revenues for service providers
MUMBAI: In advance of CES 2019,Synamedia, the largest independent video software provider, today announced Synamedia Credentials Sharing Insight to help streaming service providers combat the rapid rise in account sharing between friends and families and turn it into a new revenue-generating opportunity.
The solution can also be used to detect and shut down large-scale, for-profit credentials sharing accounts run by fraudsters.
Until now most OTT providers have turned a blind eye to casual password sharing, seeing it as a way to market their service to new audiences. But the industry now recognizes that younger generations are used to accessing streaming services for free and rarely become paying customers. Media research firm Magid found that today 26% of millennials share passwords for video streaming services, while Parks Associates predicts that in 2021, $9.9 billion of pay-tv revenues and $1.2 billion of OTT revenues will be lost to credentials sharing.
Using AI, behavioral analytics and machine learning, Synamedia Credentials Sharing Insight identifies, monitors and analyzes credentials sharing activity across streaming accounts. Real-time dashboards highlight unusual sharing activity including alerts and trend analysis.
By integrating the credentials sharing policy engine with its subscriber database, the operator can apply specific policies – such as an action to upsell – to any account whose sharing score exceeds a predefined threshold. Armed with these insights, marketing teams can tread the fine line between finding account sharers and harassing a customer.
For example, the solution can determine whether users are viewing at their main home and a holiday home, or whether they have shared credentials with friends or grown-up children who live away from home. If the latter, then subscribers are offered a premium shared account service that includes a pre-authorized level of password sharing and a higher number of concurrent users.
The learning system’s analytics take advantage of the collective, anonymized intelligence gained from multiple Synamedia customers, reducing the learning curve for new customers. The design incorporates expertise from Synamedia’s team of security experts, who understand how and where to look for suspicious activity and how to integrate this knowledge and understanding into the behavioral models.
“Casual credentials sharing is becoming too expensive to ignore. Our new solution gives operators the ability to take action. Many casual users will be happy to pay an additional fee for a premium, shared service with a greater number of concurrent users. It’s a great way to keep honest people honest while benefiting from an incremental revenue stream,” said Jean Marc Racine, CPO and GM EMEA of Synamedia.
Available as a cloud or on-premise offering, Synamedia Credentials Sharing Insight is already in trials with a number of pay-TV operators. Customers can manage the monetization using Infinite, Synamedia’s blended, cloud-based multi-screen platform, or by deploying Credential Sharing Insights as a stand alone product integrated with their existing Pay-TV Platform.
Building on Synamedia’s 20-year track record in video security products and services, the solution forms part of Synamedia’s market-leading VideoGuard portfolio. Synamedia VideoGuard secures leading pay-TV operators’ broadcast and streaming content, services and revenues worldwide. It currently protects over 330 million active client devices and over $100 billion in customer revenues.
Please join Synamedia at CES 2019 to learn more and see demos of Credentials Sharing Insight and other solutions. Synamedia will be at Chambertin1 on the ground floor of the Wynn hotel. Appointments can be booked here.
Brands
KPMG names Gary Wingrove as global chairman and CEO from October
Record Gmada bids signal rising demand as Rs 1,000 crore bet reshapes Tricity skyline
MUMBAI: KPMG has chosen continuity with a forward tilt. The firm has announced that Gary Wingrove will take over as global chairman and CEO of KPMG International, beginning a four year term from 1 October 2026. Currently serving as global chief operating officer, Wingrove steps into the top role after being nominated by the global board and elected by the global council.
A KPMG veteran with over 25 years at the firm, Wingrove has been closely involved in shaping its recent trajectory. As global COO, he has helped drive the firm’s Collective Strategy, focusing on operational integration, global investments and the steady expansion of the KPMG Delivery Network. He has also been at the forefront of KPMG’s digital push, including the rollout of AI enabled solutions across its global operations.
Before his global role, Wingrove served as CEO of KPMG Australia for nearly a decade, where he led a period of strong growth, almost doubling revenue, profitability and headcount while steering a cultural reset.
He succeeds Bill Thomas, who has led KPMG since 2017 and will work alongside Wingrove over the next six months to ensure a smooth transition.
Thomas leaves behind a firm that looks markedly different from when he took charge. Under his leadership, KPMG’s global revenues have risen by 55 per cent, and its workforce has expanded to more than 276,000 people. He also unified the network of member firms under the Collective Strategy, aligning priorities and strengthening governance.
His tenure saw heavy investment in technology and partnerships, with alliances spanning Microsoft, Google Cloud, SAP, Oracle and ServiceNow. These collaborations, along with platforms like KPMG Clara, have helped the firm scale its AI-led offerings and sharpen its competitive edge.
Beyond growth, Thomas also pushed improvements in audit quality and sustainability. Initiatives such as a multiyear global sustainability strategy and the Our Impact Plan have aimed to embed long term thinking into the firm’s operations and client services.
For Wingrove, the brief is clear but evolving. He has signalled a focus on agility, deep expertise and technology driven solutions as clients navigate an increasingly complex business landscape. He also emphasised KPMG’s identity as a people first organisation, supported by technology and unified through its global network.
The timing of the leadership change comes as KPMG continues to grow, reporting a 5.1 per cent rise in global revenue in FY25, with gains across tax and legal, audit and advisory services. Growth was recorded across all regions, despite a challenging macro environment.
As Wingrove prepares to take charge, the firm appears set on a familiar path with a sharper digital edge. Same playbook, perhaps, but with a renewed focus on speed, scale and smarter solutions.
