Survey: Nearly One-Third of U.S. Consumers Say They Watch Pirated Content

18 Jan, 2017 By: Stephanie Prange

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Not Concerned About Negative Impact of Piracy on Content Creation

Nearly one-third (32%) of respondents in an online survey of U.S. consumers said that they watch pirated content.

YouGov conducted the survey of 1,190 U.S. adults from Dec. 29, 2016, to Jan. 3, 2017, for digital platform security firm Irdeto.

When told that pirated video content can result in studios losing money — meaning studios cannot invest in creating content — 39% of consumers said that this knowledge had no effect on the amount of pirated video content they want to watch, according to the survey. Only 19% of respondents said that the financial damage caused by piracy would stop them from watching pirated content altogether, the survey found.

Still, consumers know pirated content is illegal. The survey found that 74% of respondents said that producing or sharing pirated video content is illegal and that 69% of respondents think that streaming or downloading pirate content is illegal.

“The negative impact that piracy has on the content creation industry extends much further than lost revenue,” said Lawrence Low, VP of business development and sales for Irdeto. “Piracy deters content creators from investing in new content, impacting the creative process and providing consumers with less choice. It is becoming increasingly important for operators and movie studios to educate consumers on the tactics employed by pirates and to further promote innovative offerings that allow consumers to legally acquire content.”

As far as the most popular pirated content, the survey found an even split between consumers who prefer to pirate movies and TV shows, with 24% of consumers who watch pirated content most interested in watching TV series and an additional 24% of respondents most interested in pirated movies that are currently showing in theaters. The survey also found that consumers are interested in pirating DVD and Blu-ray movies (18%), live sports (10%) and OTT original content from Netflix, Hulu, iTunes and others (9%).

“Education on the impact of piracy to consumers is an important element of an anti-piracy strategy,” said Rory O’Connor, VP of services for Irdeto. “It is important for content owners to educate themselves on the three elements of consumer choice when selecting a service: content, value and convenience. To avoid pirates stealing market share, content owners and operators need to make sure they are implementing a comprehensive, 360-degree antipiracy strategy that includes watermarking, detection and enforcement.”

Illicit streaming devices are an emerging new threat, Low told Home Media Magazine. Pirate factories abroad in places such as China and Eastern Europe use the same components as legitimate devices, often taking advantage of the fact that the legal devices are manufactured there, he said. These pirates may also mimic a legal subscription service by setting up their own servers and capturing feeds with satellites, giving the organization a “sheen of legitimacy,” Low said. They advertise the devices and services on such popular sites as Amazon, eBay and Alibaba.

“They dress it up with logos,” he said, adding they can also sell advertising on the site for extra income.

Irdeto is working with law enforcement to track and disrupt these services, he said.

“This is a growing area and if we don’t start addressing it as an industry it becomes unmanageable,” Low said.

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