#1 Concept Series : How Adobe Pass Works for TV Everywhere
Adobe Pass is offered by Adobe under Software as a Service (SaaS) model which enables secure communication between end users (consumers), programmers (content owners e.g. HBO, MTV etc.), and pay TV providers (e.g. Dish, Comcast, Time Warner etc.) in order to validate entitlement to play a premium content. The core components of the workflow include client side code integrated with the native app, browser or player and the hosted Adobe Pass Server. On accessing a premium content user is requested to select and validate its service provider credentials. Once a user is validated through its service providers login interface, a token is stored on the requesting machine which is unique for that consumer and service provider. This token authorizes a user as a valid Pay service provider consumer and authentication for subscribed content.
In summary Adobe pass acts as a proxy for a Programmer (e.g. Disney, HBO etc.) and an MVPD (e.g. Comcast, Dish etc.) to achieve authentication and authorization for video services. A user (End customer) is a subscriber with MPVD and his package/account determines privilege to programming content
On requesting a premium content the player uses the authorized token and communicates with the Adobe Pass Server, the Adobe Pass server has connections built into the authentication systems of various pay TV providers in turn enables content access. Sign in process is needed only once and authentication persists while requesting content from multiple programmers within the bounds of subscribed package
Service provider and Programmer require different business rules like TTL, revalidating, Parental controls etc. which is handled directly by the backend Adobe Pass server which has knowledge of service providers and Programmers. It acts as an N (Service Providers) to N (Programmers) authentication bridge to bring securely verify user’s entitlement to premium content based on existing subscription
- Authentication occurs as a SAML exchange between the Service Provider of Adobe Pass and the Identity Provider of an MVPD.
- Authorization uses a back-channel (server-to-server) web-service exchange between the SP of Adobe Pass and the Identity provider of an MVPD.
Key Features include
- Easy integration with top providers
- Easy integration with multiple programmers
- Single login to access multiple sites
- No additional downloads or plug-ins
