What is Conditional Access?

The rise of digital content and modes of distribution means content providers need to use a mixture of conditional access system and digital rights management (DRM).

Well, conditional access is a system that content providers use to protect and monetize their content by controlling who has access to it. It is commonly used on satellite or cable pay-TV services to regulate the contract between provider and user.

Entitlement messages are sent to the user’s receiver (such as a set-top box) to inform it which content it can decrypt. The receiver has the capacity to decrypt the signal and does so when it receives authorization that the conditions have been met.