2024 Year in Review: Strengthening Content Security Together 

Despite the challenges 2024 posed for our industry – continued recovery from the actor and writer strikes, the uncertainty of the IATSE negotiations, and the slower-than-expected return of production volumes – TPN is proud to close 2024 with nearly 1,300 Service and Application Provider partners across 60 countries. While this growth is a testament to our collective efforts, we acknowledge that much work remains to be done.

Economic pressures remain constant and compounded by the impacts of large-scale mergers and workforce reductions. Adding to these challenges, the industry has faced a significant increase in high-profile security incidents globally. These breaches have exposed unprecedented volumes of content, affecting multiple Content Owners simultaneously. Security remains a top business concern for companies in media and entertainment, and we are encouraged to see a growing commitment across the industry. Service and Application Providers increasingly recognize that a robust security culture is essential for enhancing both its operational resilience and its reputation and is an investment that pays off through reduced risks, efficiency and stakeholder trust.

This year marked the one-year anniversary of TPN’s February 2023 relaunch, and we embraced a continuous improvement mindset to deliver added value to our stakeholders and enhanced content security across the industry. Guided by our core values of flexibility, transparency, value, community, and forward momentum, we stayed true to our mission of keeping content secure.

Our custom TPN+ platform and in-house engineering team executed an ambitious release schedule, delivering enhanced user experiences. Key updates included a more intuitive navigation system, enriched registry search functions, and a comprehensive TPN Gold assessment report featuring dynamic remediation updates and executive summaries. These advancements reflect our commitment to making security processes more accessible and actionable.

To further strengthen our program, we simplified and, in some cases, hardened our processes. For instance, we reduced TPN Accredited Assessor levels from three to two tiers and now award the TPN Gold Shield only after a remediation plan is submitted. This focus on remediation is critical, as vulnerabilities such as lack of multi-factor authentication, outdated passwords, and weak firewalls remain top contributors to security incidents.

In response to member requests, we introduced a downloadable Gold Shield Status document and Blue Shield questionnaire, and recognizing the global nature of our community, we published the updated MPA Best Practices in 10 languages for the first time, thanks to the translation efforts of Iyuno and SET Brazil.

Collaboration has been central to our efforts. We worked closely with the TPN Studio Controls Committee to align studio controls with MPA Best Practices to address gaps, improve efficiency and strengthen our framework. We also supported MovieLabs’ CSAP and 2030 vision by integrating Zero Trust principles into the TPN assessment. These efforts culminated in the December publication of the v5.3 MPA Best Practices, ensuring their continued relevance.

Throughout the year, we fostered community engagement through TPN workshops in Los Angeles, London, and Singapore, where stakeholders reviewed analytics, tackled industry challenges, and provided program feedback. Networking events at our workshops, HPA, NAB, and IBC further strengthened our connections, with more planned for 2025.

The results of our 2024-member survey highlight our collective progress, with 93% of respondents affirming that a TPN Gold assessment has enhanced their security preparedness. Through participation in MPA’s 360-Strong strategy – particularly the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) initiative – and our studio partners, we distributed security alerts and calls to action, reinforcing our shared commitment to content protection.

Looking ahead, your participation and collaboration remain vital to the evolution of the TPN program, and based on your feedback, we are looking forward to announcing some key updates early in the new year to provide more value, flexibility and transparency for our members as they navigate increasingly matrixed and complex supply chains.

As we enter 2025, we are optimistic about the road ahead. Together, we will continue to build a more secure, resilient, and collaborative industry. Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to advancing content security. Here’s to a successful and secure year ahead!