Italian free-to-air satellite platform Tivùsat has begun the process of withdrawing its legacy ‘Tiger’ conditional access system, ahead of a planned deactivation window starting in Q1 2026.
The platform – backed by Rai, Mediaset and TIM – is moving all encrypted services to Nagravision’s newer ‘Merlin’ technology, which Tivùsat has been rolling out across compatible CAMs and decoders since around 2018–2020.
Tivùsat says the retirement of Tiger is part of a broader upgrade of platform security, device certification and future service features.
Under the current plan, Tivùsat will begin disabling Tiger smart cards and Tiger-only decoders from early 2026, with a full phase-out of Tiger equipment expected by 2028. After the transition, legacy receivers will continue to receive unencrypted free-to-air channels, but will no longer be able to decrypt scrambled services.
Viewers using Tiger-era hardware are being advised to migrate in advance of the 2026 window. Continued access to encrypted channels will require a Merlin-certified CAM or decoder together with a compatible smart card. Tivùsat’s card colour-coding is being used to distinguish generations: Tiger-era cards are typically grey, while Merlin cards are issued in black or green, depending on model. Cards are not interoperable – Merlin cards do not work in Tiger-only receivers, and Tiger cards will not authorise Merlin hardware.
The move is driven by a number of factors, including the need to harden the platform against piracy and signal theft, and to support expanded services such as UHD/4K channels and interactive functionality. Tivùsat has indicated that the Merlin roadmap underpins both higher-resolution broadcast services and richer hybrid features via connected TVs.
The migration also has an industry dimension. Tivùsat’s decision follows a wider pattern among European free-to-air satellite platforms, which are retiring older CA/DRM systems in favour of newer encryption standards and tighter control of hardware. The shift typically allows platforms to maintain access-controlled channels alongside free-to-air content, while meeting rights-holder demands around premium HD and UHD distribution.
Key next steps include how Tivùsat communicates the timetable to end users, including any retail or operator-led upgrade offers; what happens to channels currently using encryption on Tiger-era cards; and whether the platform uses the transition to introduce additional premium services, native UHD channels or new HbbTV-based applications.
Set-top box and CAM vendors in Italy are also expected to align with the Merlin specification as Tivùsat formalises certification requirements ahead of the 2026 cut-off.
Tivùsat’s technology refresh now becomes a multi-year consumer transition programme, with the first decisive break coming in 2026 and final Tiger shut-off targeted by 2028.
