System and method to limit content distribution

An apparatus for selectively providing media program assets to a plurality of devices, each device disposed in only one of a plurality of service regions and having access to only one of a plurality of digital rights management (DRM) service instances, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more processors;
• one or more memories, each communicatively coupled to an associated one of the one or more processors, each memory storing processor instructions including processor instructions for:
• grouping the media program assets into a plurality of asset groups, each respective asset group having same required security capability (RSC), wherein each of the plurality of media program assets is uniquely associated with a media key that is required to decrypt the media program asset associated with the media key;
• assigning one of a plurality of distribution range values to each of the plurality of asset groups;
• processing the media program assets so that each media program asset in a respective asset group is decryptable only by use of the media key associated with that media program asset;
• and
• hierarchically migrating only authorized asset groups from an originating DRM service instance across the other of the plurality of DRM service instances according to the distribution range value respectively assigned to each of the plurality of asset groups, wherein each of the plurality of DRM service instances serves devices disposed in only one of the service regions and is associated with only one of the plurality of distribution range values for each asset group.

An apparatus for selectively providing media program assets to a plurality of devices, each device disposed in only one of a plurality of service regions and having access to only one of a plurality of digital rights management (DRM) service instances, comprising:

• a hardware processor grouping the media program assets into a plurality of asset groups, each respective asset group having same required security capability (RSC), wherein each of the plurality of media program assets is uniquely associated with a media key that is required to decrypt the media program asset associated with the media key;
• the processor assigning one of a plurality of distribution range values to each of the plurality of asset groups;
• the processor processing the media program assets so that each media program asset in a respective asset group is decryptable only by use of the media key associated with that media program asset;
• and
• the processor hierarchically migrating only authorized asset groups from an originating DRM service instance across the other of the plurality of DRM service instances according to the distribution range value respectively assigned to each of the plurality of asset groups, wherein each of the plurality of DRM service instances serves devices disposed in only one of the service regions and is associated with only one of the plurality of distribution range values for each asset group.