Multi-DRM SDK Use Cases
A Multi-DRM SDK fits any service that protects paid or licensed video on more than one platform.
Subscription OTT Services:
Licensing deals for premium titles often require DRM wherever they are offered. The SDK requests the license. It is issued only after the backend confirms the subscription.
Live Streaming:
Live Streaming Platforms encrypt premium live streams in real-time. A Multi-DRM SDK helps streaming apps support protected playback across multiple devices and ecosystems that rely on different DRM systems.
Transactional Video Services:
Rentals and purchases rely on license rules, such as a rental’s viewing window. After the SDK acquires the license, the device’s DRM enforces those rules.
Offline Playback
: Where the DRM, platform, and SDK allow it, viewers can download titles that remain encrypted and play only under a valid stored license. Availability differs by platform.
Multi-Device Streaming:
Viewers often start an episode on a phone and finish it on a smart TV. Those screens may use different DRMs, so each app needs a matching client integration.
Multi-DRM Deployment:
Multi-DRM can replace separate setups. One license service and backend workflow can handle Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady. Flutter and React Native teams can cover Android and iOS with one DoveRunner SDK.
Multi-DRM SDK Integration for OTT Apps and Streaming Platforms
The Multi-DRM SDK runs inside the client app, while packaging, entitlement checks, and license issuance happen elsewhere.
Content Preparation and Encryption:
Video is encrypted during packaging with DoveRunner’s packaging tools or a compatible third-party encoder.
Playback Request:
A viewer selects a protected title in an OTT app, browser, or other supported environment.
DRM Environment Selection:
The app uses a DRM the device supports (Widevine on Android, FairPlay Streaming on iOS, or PlayReady in Windows apps).
Authentication and Entitlement Check:
The service backend, not the SDK, decides whether the user, account, or session may access the title.
DRM License Request:
When the user presses play, a license challenge is created by the built-in DRM of the device. The DRM license request is the license challenge with authorization data. The DRM license request is sent to the DRM license server. The video travels separately through the CDN.
License Acquisition:
With token-based acquisition, the app sends a backend-generated license token directly to DoveRunner’s license server. With proxy-based acquisition, a backend proxy relays the request to DoveRunner and returns the license, letting the service add its own checks.
Protected Playback:
Once DoveRunner issues the license, the device’s DRM client uses it to decrypt and play the media under the license’s rules.
Multi-DRM SDK Support for Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady
No single DRM runs on every major platform. Google Widevine, Apple FairPlay Streaming, and Microsoft PlayReady each protect playback within their own ecosystems.
Supporting all three lets an OTT service reach a broad mix of compatible phones, browsers, smart TVs, and streaming devices. Client integration still differs by ecosystem.
FairPlay SDK Support
FairPlay Streaming is Apple’s DRM technology for protecting HLS video in Apple playback environments such as iOS, tvOS, and Safari. DoveRunner’s FairPlay SDK for iOS and tvOS helps native apps apply it. It acquires each license using the token or custom data from the service backend.
On iOS, the SDK also supports downloads for offline playback, while tvOS support covers streaming only. To use FairPlay, the streaming service must obtain deployment credentials from Apple and register them in the DoveRunner Console.
PlayReady SDK Support
Microsoft PlayReady protects playback on Windows, Edge, and Xbox, as well as many smart TVs and set-top boxes. DoveRunner’s multi-DRM service issues PlayReady licenses to compatible clients, while the client integration depends on the environment.
For Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps on Windows and Xbox, DoveRunner provides a PlayReady SDK. It can acquire a license before playback begins or let the PlayReady media player request one when playback starts. On supported Smart TVs, apps use the device’s built-in PlayReady, configured for DoveRunner’s license service.
Widevine SDK Support
Built into Android and Chrome, Widevine is Google’s DRM technology and is also supported on Android TV, Chromecast, and many smart TVs. On the app side, DoveRunner’s Widevine SDK for Android connects Android apps to Widevine and to DoveRunner’s license service.
The SDK requests and manages Widevine licenses, works with the Media3 (ExoPlayer) framework, and handles protected downloads. It runs on Google-certified Android devices, including supported Android TV models. Encryption happens earlier, during packaging, not in the SDK.