LOS ANGELES—The Trusted Partner Network (TPN) has announced that it will launch its next-generation Shield tier system in early September 2025. The new system is designed to increase transparency, elevate security standards, and drive continuous improvement for content security across the media and entertainment supply chain.
TPN, which is the Motion Picture Association’s (MPA) global content security initiative, is owned and managed by the MPA. The MPA is backed by Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The new Shield model introduces two new tiers, Silver and Gold Star, which build on the legacy of the Classic Gold Shield by recognizing a Service Provider’s completion and TPN’s review of security gaps identified during the TPN assessment process, it said.
“The new Shield structure gives Content Owners clearer visibility into the security readiness and remediation progress of vendors and partners—essential in today’s evolving threat landscape,” said Terri Davies, president of TPN. “This update is a pivotal step forward for content security and builds on the value TPN provides for its members.”
The newly unveiled next-gen tiers—Blue, Silver, Gold, and Gold Star—replace the legacy classic Blue and Gold Shield designations. This new system goes into effect with the TPN+ release of the v5.3.1 TPN questionnaires and assessments, in which each Shield tier is prominently displayed in the TPN+ Registry. All Classic TPN Gold Shields will remain valid until their expiration dates.
The four-tier system reflects a Service Provider’s current security status:
- Blue Shield – Self-assessment completed and published
- Silver Shield – Assessment completed, remediation plan submitted (formerly Classic Gold)
- Gold Shield – All Best Practice remediation items completed and reviewed by TPN
- Gold Star Shield – All Best Practice and Additional Recommendations completed and reviewed by TPN
The TPA describes the key benefits of the next-gen Shield tiers as follows:
- Increased transparency of remediation progress
- Faster, more informed decision-making for content owners
- Scalable recognition of security maturity
- Incentivized continuous improvement
- Better alignment with evolving global threats
More information about the new Shield tiers and updated TPN+ Platform is available at www.ttpn.org.
