Comcast Blocks Apple TV Single Sign-On And Works With CTAM

Comcast has not yet revealed any plans to support Apple TV’s new single sign on feature, but instead have said that they will continue to work with tech firms like Synacor, Adobe, and the industry group, CTAM, to develop an authentication system that can be used universally. “We have made great progress and expect to enable SSO next year,” a Comcast rep said. “We are focused on helping create an open standard that is platform agnostic and easily adoptable, and will continue to share our best practices with the industry through CTAM and the OATC (Open Authentication Technology Committee).”

Recently, Apple announced a new single sign on feature for their updated Apple TV app, which would allow pay-TV users to authenticate just once across all the TV Everywhere apps. However, Apple named only Dish Network and DirecTV among the major pay TV operators that are supporting the single sign on feature. Cox said that the MSO would be monitoring the Apple TV’s SSO feature, but Comcast said that they have other plans.

“Home-based authentication is a feature that recognizes when a pay-TV customer is connected to their modem or gateway and automatically signs them in to participating MVPD and programmer websites and apps on devices in the home,” said Matthew Strauss, who is the executive VP and GM of video services for Comcast. Explaining the new system in one of their blog posts, he said that, “Outside of the home, [a] single sign-on will prompt customers only once to provide their credentials on a device and sign them in to all MVPD and programmer apps and websites to which they are entitled.”

Comcast has collaborated with CTAM and Adobe to make a “universal” authentication platform. The Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) said that the platform is an outgrowth of their work with the Open Authentication Technology Committee (OATC) for TV Everywhere. The group named many MVPDs and programmers that support the plan and it includes Comcast/NBCUniversal, Cox Communications, Disney/ESPN, A+E Networks, Mediacom, Fox Networks Group, Scripps Networks Interactive, A+E Networks, Turner Networks, AMC Networks, and Viacom.

“With regard to home-based authentication, we are actively engaged with our programming partners and currently enable HBA for 40 percent of them,” one of the Comcast representatives added.