It looks like TV1000 need not have bothered with their ECM. The hackers have already hacked the new keys. This of course leaves the planned ECMs by the TV3 channels in doubt.
If the TV1000 keys have been hacked then it is a certainty that the new keys for the TV3 channels are also in the hands of the pirates. It did however take somewhat longer than the expected twenty days.
The option of changing the keys on a more regular basis remains. However eventually TV1000 will run into a tricky situation. The keys for the management data are known and therefore the pirates will be able to update the cards by actually reading the new keys off the air. The pirate cards would probably be based on the Battery Card with an added modem.
While offering pirate TV1000 cards for sale in the UK is technically illegal under UK law, the Uk satellite television press is flooded with adverts. Though some magazines have adopted a somewhat hypocritical view. They openly condemn the cards and yet pad out their magazines with adverts for pirate cards.
FilmNet was planning to introduce some ECMs but apparently has decided against it after watching the TV1000 situation develop. However FilmNet stated that it would introduce new smart cards in June of this year. It remains to be seen if they will be using the France Telecom cards and the DES algorithm. In terms of providing security France Telecom made a serious mistake in using such a well known algorithm.