Widevine to Provide DRM for Gaia Online Video

Widevine announced today that it would provide Digital Rights Management services for Gaia Online's streaming video of Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures Television content. Sony, which also invested in Gaia, and Warner signed in December to distribute a portion of their archived content in the youth-focused virtual world. The two stream movies and TV shows into the Gaia  Cinemas, and Widevine will provide protection during streaming and after encryption. “Widevine’s exclusive ability to provide secure, cross-platform Flash delivery to a wide range of consumer platforms is critical. Gaia Online has met the security requirements of the major studios to deliver a highly sought user experience for their community,” Brian Baker, CEO of Widevine Technologies, said in a statement.

“With the introduction of the Gaia Cinemas, we have once again pioneered a unique entertainment experience at Gaia,”  Gaia CEO Craig Sherman said. “The Gaia Cinemas enables millions of teens to come together to share their experiences, express their individuality and now watch great movies or episodic television. We wanted to offer and make premium content available to all our members. Widevine is helping us to achieve our entertainment and business goals with its content protection solution for Flash and enabling us to expand to other formats, if needed.”

Widevine says it "was a critical enabler of Gaia’s licensing deal," which wouldn't be too surprising with two old media giants like Sony and Warner Bros. looking at an entirely new mode of distribution.