AMSTERDAM and BERLIN, March 27, 2025 —  and  are launching a new solution for high-frequency key rotation, designed to boost content security and ensure easy scaling. This innovation enhances the protection of valuable content, such as live sports events and movie premieres, against piracy and unauthorized viewing by changing digital rights management (DRM) keys every 10 seconds.

A live demonstration of the solution will be presented at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, from April 6–9, 2025.

Unlike traditional periodic key rotation, which can put a strain on DRM servers and increase expenses, this method maximizes efficiency without adding complexity. Traditionally, key rotation happened less often, perhaps per session or every few minutes. More frequent rotations would overload DRM servers with too many license requests, making it impractical for large-scale events.

The new high-frequency key rotation technique reduces unnecessary requests by including key rotation metadata within the stream. This allows players to predict upcoming key changes and distribute requests more effectively.

In the initial phase of this joint project, the high-frequency key rotation demo synchronizes crucial parts of a streaming workflow. Unified Streaming’s video packager, , works with castLabs’ license delivery network, , and operates smoothly on castLabs’ video player technology, PRESTOplay.

A significant hurdle in implementing frequent key rotation has been the associated costs, as each license key request incurs charges. The Unified Streaming and castLabs partnership addresses the expense of key rotation through the player’s unique interaction with the DRM provider.

The demo will be showcased at both companies’ booths at NAB Show:  (Unified Streaming) and  (castLabs).

Visitors will witness a seamless stream with key rotation every 10 seconds, utilizing DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP). The demonstration will highlight which video segments are encrypted with specific keys and how players request licenses at varying intervals – a method that avoids server overloads and ensures consistent playback at scale.

Live sports streaming is a significant market where security and scalability are essential. High-frequency key rotation protects premium live events, assisting content owners in securing their assets while maintaining efficient operations.

“At Unified Streaming, we pride ourselves on contributing to industry research and professional groups, as well as providing practical solutions. Our main goal is to improve efficiency at all levels. By introducing high-frequency key rotation, we are proactively addressing piracy, ensuring content owners can protect their content without sacrificing scalability or cost-effectiveness,” said Unified Streaming CTO Arjen Wagenaar.

“At castLabs, we are dedicated to offering advanced DRM and playback solutions that enable smooth, secure streaming at scale. Our partnership with Unified Streaming on high-frequency key rotation ensures content owners can achieve the highest level of protection without compromising performance or efficiency,” said Thasso Griebel, castLabs’ technical lead for player development.

Visit Unified Streaming and castLabs at NAB Show 2025 to see this innovative solution in action and discover how high-frequency key rotation is establishing a new standard for secure, scalable live streaming.

About castLabs

castLabs is a leading innovator in software and cloud services for global digital video markets, simplifying premium content streaming. Their suite of applications and services helps businesses deliver superior video experiences through protected content playback across a wide range of devices and platforms. castLabs solutions include multi-DRM and CAS licensing, feature-rich cross-platform players, cloud encoding and single-frame watermarking, Widevine device and app , secure end-to-end delivery, as well as expert technical consulting. Learn more at .

About Unified Streaming

Unified Streaming creates world-class streaming technologies and is a leading authority in defining industry standards and specifications.

Founded in 2012 and based in Amsterdam, Unified Streaming is at the forefront of content aggregation, providing tools for dynamic and static packaging, capture, and advanced playlist technology. By developing stable and reliable software, Unified Streaming helps customers overcome complex streaming challenges.

Companies use Unified solutions to unlock innovative ways to personalize, protect, and repurpose their content, as well as to create significant value.

With over 140 broadcasters, telcos, streaming platforms, content creators, and ecosystem partners worldwide, Unified Streaming’s software powers some of the largest and most well-known streaming platforms and services.

CONTACT: Burcin Aksay, 
Communications and Events Manager, castLabs

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