In
recent years, broadcasting and information society services (IS services) have
been making ever-increasing use of conditional access devices. This trend is expected
to gather pace as the market for these services develops. The conditional access
device (CA) provides the user with a technical facility which allows him to determine
who has access to electronically-distributed services and under which conditions.
In order to improve the legal situation of providers of broadcasting and IS services,
the European Commission has recently drafted and adopted a Directive on the legal
protection of services based on, or consisting of, conditional access (CAD)This
Directive introduces a common standard of legal protection for conditional access
devices. However, it focuses exclusively on conditional access devices that serve
the remuneration interest of service providers and makes no provision for CA devices
that serve other interests. The traditional role
of conditional access is to ensure that viewers see only those programs that they
have paid to view.
In the digital environment, conditional access has evolved
far beyond this role. Today's conditional access systems still support traditional
pay TV revenue generation. In addition they enable TV operators to create and
protect a unique gateway to the enhanced TV experience - a world of interactive
services, including home shopping, games, sports, interactive advertising, and
pay-perview programming. Using today's conditional access systems, you can target
programming, advertisements, and promotions to subscribers by geographic area,
by market segment, or according to subscribers' personal preferences.You can take
advantage of conditional access features to implement flexible program packaging
options and support new ways of generating revenue. Conditional Access System
(CAS) is defined as any technical measure and/or arrangement whereby access to
the protected service in an intelligible form is made conditional upon prior individual
authorization.
