The gap a membership plugin leaves
A membership plugin protects pages. The video embedded on a protected page is a different matter: a YouTube or Vimeo embed plays wherever its code ends up, and one member’s login can be used on as many devices as they like. MediaShield closes that gap on the video itself.
Who can watch
Access is checked when a watch session starts, in a fixed order:
- Administrators always pass.
- Require Login (on by default) refuses logged-out visitors with a login message.
- Restrict to Role, set per video, refuses signed-in users who do not hold that exact role.
- Allowed Domains refuses embeds on sites you have not listed.
- Custom rules from the
mediashield_can_watchfilter, which is where a developer connects a specific membership level.
Most membership plugins assign a WordPress role per level, so Restrict to Role is usually all you need: a Gold-level video restricted to the Gold role. The match is exact, so a video for one level is not open to another just because it sounds higher. See who can watch and access control.
Shared accounts
A membership seat is meant for one person. Max Concurrent Streams (default 2) limits how many devices one account watches on at once. Guests are never counted, because there is no account to share. See stop shared logins.
The watermark does the rest. At Standard protection, the member’s display name and IP sit on the video and move position every 30 seconds by default, so a recording shared outside the site names the account. Pro can add email, user ID, timestamp, site name or your own text. See viewer watermark.
Making the library pleasant to use
Protection should not make the member experience worse. MediaShield’s player remembers where each member stopped and offers to resume, can keep the video visible in a corner while they scroll, and shows an end-screen button pointing at the next video. Playlists play every item in the same protected player. The [mediashield_my_videos] shortcode gives each member a page of what they have watched. See the player.
What members actually watch
The Dashboard and Viewers screens show sessions and completion per video and per member, which tells you which content keeps people subscribed. Pro adds heatmaps and retention curves, a weekly summary email, and CSV and PDF exports. See watch analytics.
What it will not solve
MediaShield does not take payments or manage membership levels; your membership plugin keeps doing that. It does not stop screen recording and has no captions. Only videos in the MediaShield library are protected.
Common questions
Does MediaShield work with my membership plugin?
Yes, through WordPress roles, which most membership plugins assign per level. Set Restrict to Role on each video. For rules that are not role-based, a developer can use the mediashield_can_watch filter.
What happens when a membership lapses?
When the membership plugin removes the member’s role, MediaShield refuses the next watch session for videos restricted to that role.
Is role-based access a Pro feature?
No. Restrict to Role is in the free plugin, along with the login gate, allowed domains, watermark and stream limit.