Trusted Partner Network

What it is

"The Trusted Partner Network (TPN) is a global, industry-wide film and television content protection initiative." — TPN General FAQs.

"The TPN assessment does not provide a 'pass/fail' grade, certification, or rating. It provides an assessment of a facility's security preparedness for compliance with the MPAA content security best practices." — TPN General FAQs.

"Joining the TPN is voluntary; however, every vendor – large and small – that believes that security is a core business principle of their organization should join the TPN." — TPN General FAQs.

"TPN, a division of the Motion Picture Association, was created in 2018 to streamline the process that evaluates vendors in every area of production, post-production and distribution." — Motion Picture Association press release.

"A global, industry-wide media and entertainment content security initiative and community network, wholly owned by the Motion Picture Association, building a more secure future for content partners." — Motion Picture Association, Content Protection page.

Since early September 2025, TPN reports results using four tiers — Blue, Silver, Gold, and Gold Star — which replace the earlier Blue Shield / Gold Shield designations and align with the TPN+ v5.3.1 questionnaires and assessments; previously issued Classic Gold Shield statuses remain valid until their own expiration dates.

Who owns it

Motion Picture Association (MPA) — described in MPA's own materials as "a division of the Motion Picture Association" and elsewhere as a program "wholly owned by the Motion Picture Association."

Who assesses it

Individual, TPN-approved assessors — TPN's own FAQ specifies "Individual assessors (not audit firms)" who undergo TPN's review and approval process; a vendor hires a Qualified Assessor from the TPN database and negotiates the assessment fee directly with that assessor.

TPN Shield tier (in effect since early September 2025)

• Blue — Self-assessment completed and published.
• Silver — Assessment completed, remediation plan submitted (formerly Classic Gold).
• Gold — All Best Practice remediation items completed and reviewed by TPN.
• Gold Star — All Best Practice and Additional Recommendations completed and reviewed by TPN.

Who asks for it

Voluntary. TPN's own documentation states plainly that joining is voluntary. MPA member studios (Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery) own and reference TPN, and TPN markets participation as demonstrating 'security readiness before a customer asks.' No primary source from an individual studio's own supplier-security page was found stating that a TPN Shield tier is a contractual requirement (checked directly against Netflix's own Partner Help Center, which maps its own requirements to TPN among other frameworks but does not mandate a TPN Shield tier).

TPN's own membership page frames participation as demonstrating security readiness "before a customer asks," rather than as a response to a specific studio mandate.

MPA's member studios — Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery — are the studios that own and are associated with TPN; this is MPA's membership list, not confirmation that any one of these studios contractually requires a TPN Shield tier from its own vendors. Checked directly: Netflix's own Partner Help Center states that its security requirements "map to industry best practices such as TPN, NIST, ISO, etc." without stating that a TPN Shield tier is required of its vendors.