White Square Watermark on EE Apple TV

[SwannyD2]

Hi all, 

I know this has been mentioned other places but I don’t think I’ve actually seen a response, or solution to removing it… the permanent white watermark on ALL Sky or Now TV channels when watching on Apple TV.

Aside from screen burn in, it’s become a bone of contention in my house and doesn’t seem to have any function than to annoy my other half. 

Anyone have any insight into why us EE Apple TV converts have been lumbered with it, or when it’ll be disappearing?

It’s taken the shine off the switch, to be honest! 

[DarrenDev]

It's required as part of the contract with Now TV - everyone who distributes their channels is required to add one to the video stream.  The size, shape, position, and colour of that graphic are all defined by the contract (different for each platform), and there's no way to remove it.

We have asked if we can turn it down a bit though - it does seem a lot brighter than any other platform.

[SwannyD2]

Turning it down would be a start, but given that it's not required for any other part of the TV service, and EE are pitching Apple TV as a replacement for the main box, it's disappointing not to know before switching. It's especially poor for the movie channels. 

It'd make more sense if it was a translucent logo at the same size, at the moment it looks like an error!  

Not looking forward to breaking the news to other half. I fear we may need to invoke the 14 day cooling off period... 

[DarrenDev]

As mentioned, it's specifically a requirement from Now TV - they want to be able to uniquely identify streaming of their content on every platform, so if they detect any illegal streams they can tell where they're coming from.

[jon_1103]

I've seen this logo but I've not watched much live TV since my BB going live last week, I've only used on demand stuff via the NOW TV app, which doesn't show this. Therefore, I cannot comment too much, however, I would say that it'll be quite apparent on my OLED TV if I'm watching a program/film that's in a dark setting, so a transparent logo would be a better fit if possible.

[Customer_404]

I agree that it can be quite annoying at times, especially in darker scenes. Even if NOW identified that an illegal stream was coming from EE, what action would they take? Surely it’s near impossible to identity an individual customer who may be responsible for it if the watermark is only unique to the platform?

It all just seems a bit unnecessary if you ask me..

[DarrenDev]

If it has been identified that the stream is coming from an EE TV device then a signal can be broadcast that tells all devices to display a unique ID on screen - this then identifies the specific account that has shared it.  You'll see this occasionally (usually on sport events) where an apparently random sequence of numbers appears somewhere on screen.

[Customer_404]

I retract my comment about it being unnecessary, that makes sense now and seems like a sensible way to combat that issue.

Fingers crossed we can get it dimmed down a bit, thanks for the answers!

[DarrenDev · Accepted solution]

I have some good news on this one.

Following long discussions with Sky, they've agreed that we can align our "watermark" (known as a DOG) between YouView and Apple TV.  Specifically, this means we'll remove it from most of the entertainment channels (it'll remain on Sky Max, Sky Showcase, and the sport channels), and the size, position, and opacity on Apple TV will be aligned with YouView (although it will still be the current dice shape).

We'll get this changed as soon as we can.

This came about specifically as a result of this discussion on here, so thanks for raising it.

[SwannyD2]

That’s great news, thanks Darren. 

Appreciate this might be beyond your scope, but I still don’t see the logic in them only ‘protecting’ these streams in this way. Surely the same level of risk of piracy exists on whatever platform is used. They’re not doing this with Now TV on any other devices.

There must be other technologies that could be used to verify location and ownership that wouldn’t impact legitimate users. It's made us ditch the excellent Apple TV EE TV app for the Now app. Perhaps this includes technologies that EE could integrate into its own app. 

All in all, definite progress, but lets face it, the channels they’re keeping it on are the ones with content that you want to watch at its best - I’ve just upgraded to the HD Boost, and now get to enjoy the ‘dice’ with even sharper clarity.

It’s something that prospective customers should be aware of before making the switch. Any word on when this is likely to start?